Pokemon: The Magic of a Melody
by IcySapphire
Summary: When Ash befriends a minstrel with the rare ability to sing magic, he doesn't know that he's about to embark on an epic quest to unleash the ultimate song magic, and to learn what it truly means to be a hero along the way.
1. The Legend of the Symphony

Pokemon: The Magic of a Melody

_Long ago, the world of Pokemon was not the world you see today-it was a wild world with deep forests, high mountains, and vast oceans. Pokemon roamed freely with fantastic creatures, and even more amazing-humans could harness the power of the elements created by the gods._

_Of course, not just anyone could harness magic, as the power of the elements had come to be known, but those with the talent and the desire to learn could easily find a mage to teach them within the many academies scattered across the land._

_But that was not the only way to harness magic-some of the many minstrels across the land sang so passionately about fantastic Pokemon, great battles, and larger than life heroes that even their songs became spells-creating Song Magic. However, those minstrels that could harness Song Magic were few and far between. One such minstrel managed to defeat a demon uprising by collecting the powers of all eight elements into a magical necklace, then unleashing the ultimate Song Magic-Rainbow Symphony._

_Many years have passed since then, but there are rumblings from the underworld once more...and a young mage will unknowingly guide the next bearer of Rainbow Symphony on his quest ..._

Episode 1: The Legend of the Symphony

A black haired boy carefully cut into a lump of porcelain, the thunking and scraping of his tools echoing across the hills and the ivy covered stone walls that encircled the East Garden. He often liked to come to the garden in the morning before his teaching duties began, be this to read, play music, chat or tell stories with his fellow mages, or carve saefleitas, like today-it allowed him a few moments of peace and quiet before the apprentices awoke, where he would then be occupied with teaching spells, creating potions, and telling tales until the sun set. It helped that he had his own mentor alongside him to help-although he was no longer an apprentice, she could still offer him advice on the best way to explain incantations, whether mint was the best herb for a spell of protection, or just talk about life in general.

He brushed the white porcelain dust from his blue and gray tunic into a tiny heap in the grass, then examined the vaguely bird shaped lump for just the right spot to put the air hole as the breeze carried away the dust through one of the many stone arches that made up the hallway, then slipped on the gloves that were the same blue as his tunic and boots and picked up a drill to begin drilling the air hole in one of the wing-like sections of the lump, using his own saefleita, which hung proudly around his neck, as a reference. Once that was done, he would drill six fingerholes, three on each side of the "bird"'s stomach, and polish it before it went in the bag of other saefleitas he carried-then it would be given to an apprentice, where he or she would use it to summon a familiar.

"Ash?" a female voice called, causing him to drop the drill in the grass. He whirled around to see a brown haired girl clad in the black, red, and gold tunic of a high mage standing in the stone arch at the entrance to the garden. "How are those saefleitas for the new class coming along?"

"I'm almost finished with the last one, Milina." Ash replied before retrieving the drill. "How many are in this new group?" he asked as he began drilling the air hole in the unfinished saefleita.

Milina inspected the black bag of finished saefleitas lying in the grass. "You've made too many, Ash-I'm only expecting twenty apprentices in Class Lume this year."

"I could give the extras to those that need them." Ash offered as he fished out the ten extra saefleitas that rattled in the bag before setting it on his belt nearby his sword.

"You always were very generous, Ash-and you're one of the better saefleita makers here at the lodge." Milina smiled as she took the extra saefleitas. "Have you considered making and selling saefleitas full time? Yours always seem to sell at the Magical Bazaar every year..."

"I'm not sure if I could handle making hundreds of saefleitas a day." Ash confessed. "I really only make them for fun and to give to apprentices...but besides teaching, I want to see the world alongside a knight, another mage, or a minstrel, even!"

"Then you know what you have to do-make a potion and offer it to a prospective companion as a sign of your loyalty and see if he or she offers to have you serve in return." Milina replied. "That's how I met Lady Fleur."

Ash stifled a giggle-while he had not asked Milina just WHAT it was she did when she was with Lady Fleur, he imagined it involved magically cleaning poofy dresses, commanding the kitchen to clean itself, or some other menial task.

Fortunately, Milina had not heard his giggle. "Well then...I will see you this evening-good luck with the class." With that, she disappeared down the hallway and into the lodge. Ash waved goodbye, retrieved his drill, and resumed work on the last saefleita, ever aware of the voices of children he could hear coming from the lodge.

Ash rounded the corner into the lodge's east wing and counted down three doors on the right until he found one marked with a star-the sign that the classroom was used for teaching apprentices. The room didn't look very much different than he remembered-there were four long tables overlooking a blackboard and a shorter table, with storage holds close by the chair at the left side of the table to put items. He quickly stashed his bag of saefleitas in the bottom left storage hold and surveyed the bookshelves that circled the room-as this was a brand new addition to the east wing, the books on them were in pristine condition-a far cry from the ratty old spellbooks he had studied as an apprentice. Some apprentices were already seated at the table at the front, whispering excitedly about what their first year would bring as their dull red robes fluttered in the breeze coming in from a window by the door.

Once all twenty apprentices were present, he addressed the group. "Good morning, everyone-I am Ash of the Seuta Class, third year of the Seventh Raikou." Excited whispers filled the air-any apprentice in the Seuta Class was said to go on to do great things, and many a minstrel told of the deeds they had done. "It's a pleasure to see all of you, and I wish you all the best in your magical training." He paused to retrieve the bag of saefleitas. "Over the course of this year, I hope to get you off on the right foot in your training, where you can cast some basic offensive and defensive spells, mix potions, and care for a familiar."

"What's a familiar?" a girl in the right corner asked as she strung up her dull blonde hair into a ponytail.

"A familiar is a Pokemon companion that aids a mage in some way." Ash explained. "Some battle alongside their masters, some heal and protect them, and still others take care of daily tasks for them-what your familiar will do for you depends on what makes the familiar happy. That's where this comes in..." Oohs and ahs filled the air as Ash took off his own saefleita for the apprentices to see. "This is a saefleita, or 'bird's flute'-you can use it to call a familiar to you, like this..." With that, he played a simple four note melody that reverbrated through the room, particulary on the high third note.

"Pikachu!" a yellow mouse called as it struggled to climb in the window from a bush. Giggles wafted through the air as it tried several times to climb inside, but kept slipping on the windowpane.

Ash quickly put on his saefleita and helped the struggling Pikachu onto his shoulder, to some applause. "Anyway, this is my familiar...he will often scout ahead and battle alongside me when we travel." he explained as he reached for the bag of saefleitas. "As a gift to welcome you to your first year of magical studies, I want to give you a saefleita of your own." He stiffled a giggle as the crowd of twenty apprentices stormed up to the head of the class, took a saefleita, and eagerly began figuring out the notes, making various squeaks and squawks fill the air.

Once sure every apprentice had a saefleita, Ash lifted a hand for silence, quieting the noise. "If you have called a familiar already, you'll notice that some of the aura around it has dimmed." Some gasps came up from the crowd at this. "This is because calling a familiar takes a little of your own magic power-how much depends on what you want to summon." He nodded in approval at a boy that had called a Spearow. "In addition, remember what you played to summon your familiar-your familiar will only come to you if you play that song." He proceeded to play a little flourish on his own saefleita to wake up a auburn haired girl that was dozing off, making everyone laugh as those with familiars copied down their summon songs in their spellbooks.

"Is it possible to summon a Legendary with these?" a navy haired boy asked as he toyed with his saefleita.

"Yes-but it takes a lot of power." Ash replied. "That's why you should only summon them in an emergency." With that, he ran to help a girl tame the Growlithe she had summoned, which was playfully pulling the spellbooks from the shelves as the other apprentices howled with laughter.

The sky outside the potion lab was beginning to darken as Ash arrived, only pausing to set his lantern on the stand by the entryway before strolling over to one of the many large tables that were littered with bottles, boxes, and bags of all kinds. After putting what materials were already on the table back on the shelf above it, he eased one of the heavy recipe books from the shelf and set it on the table. "Let's see here...turning fire blue, teleportation, protection from dragons...here we go! The Misty Potion of Vigor." He next grabbed an empty flask from the shelf before reading the recipe first. "Cerulean tea as a base..." he mused before grabbing a flask of blue liquid from the shelf and pouring some into his empty flask. "Rosy ink to boost the strength of the healing components..." he mused as he reached for a bottle of reddish liquid and poured it inside, turning the cerulean tea to an omnious purple mixture.

"What brings you to the potion lab this late, Ash?" a voice asked.

Ash looked up to see Milina in the doorway. "I was thinking about what you said about making a potion to find a prospective companion this morning, and decided it was worth a try-I've already informed my group about my departure in the morning."

"Must you leave so soon?" Milina asked as she walked over to where Ash was working. "You have every right to leave on an adventure when you see fit, but it would make your group feel better if you spent one last night with them before your departure."

"You're right..." Ash reached for a cork to close his flask and began shaking it to mix the first two ingredients of his potion. "They may wonder why I am leaving them after just one day together."

"Pika." Pikachu agreed as he joined Milina by the table.

"Just explain to them that sometimes, a mage will seek out a companion to serve in addition to their duties here at the lodge. Not every mage does, but the Archmage encourages every mage to do this at some point." Milina continued.

"Just out of curiosity, how many times did it take you to find Lady Fleur?" Ash wondered as he studied his recipe.

Milina thought for a moment. "It took three journeys before I found Fleur-just remember that as you travel, you may not find a companion the first time. That doesn't mean you should give up if you fail, though-some mages get lucky and find a companion the first time. If that happens with you, cherish your companion for all time." With that, she departed, leaving Ash and Pikachu alone in the dim firelight.

Once the cerulean tea and rosy ink were mixed thoroughly, Ash uncorked it and dropped some glowing seeds into the purple liquid, making them burst open with a pop and a flash of light. "Grian seeds for healthy skin." he explained to Pikachu, who was fascinated by the pale yellow mist wafting from the flask. "Normally, they release liquid when they burst open, but when exposed to liquid themselves, their liquid becomes mist." He next shook some dull brown powder into the flask, turning the liquid a lighter shade of blue. "Powdered birch root, to protect against evil spirits and the Song Magic spell Amethyst Eye..."

"Pi pikachu pi?" Pikachu asked.

"Some evil spirits of the siren variety tend to sing to bring about their dark magic." Ash replied. "Amethyst Eye is especially dangerous-for then the spirit can possess you while you sleep. Song Mages can do this right back at the spirit, but for the rest of us, we have birch root." He next added some mint leaves, turning the liquid a pale green. "Mint for general healing purposes..." Some small white flowers turned the liquid yellow. "Meadowsweet for pain relief..." Some drops of a glowing clear liquid turned the mist in the flask pale blue. "Anima's tears for healing of deep wounds, and finally..." He carefully stirred in a shining silver dust, boosting the mist inside the flask and making a sweet minty aroma fill the air. "Wish dust for renewal of strength." After replacing the cork on the flask, putting it inside a bag, and tidying his work area, he motioned for Pikachu to follow him as he took his torch and started down the hall out to the stone walkway that connected the south and east wings. The garden was close by, so he figured that would be the perfect spot to relax on his last night in the lodge for a while.

He noticed that his group was waiting for him when he arrived in the garden. "Why are you leaving us in the morning, Sir Ash?" a boy asked. The boy's familiar, a Yohteri, eagerly danced around Ash's feet, piqued in what was inside the bag around Ash's shoulder.

"Well, many mages, in addition to teaching and adventuring, often serve someone." Ash replied as he made himself comfortable under a tree and invited the apprentices to gather around. "What they may do depends on their companion's needs-some escort nobility, others help with daily tasks, and still others tend to their companion's mind and boy, to name only a few possibilities.

"Well, what kind of person would you want to serve?" a red haired girl asked.

"I haven't really gave much thought to that, but I figure it might be fun to serve a minstrel-assist with tricks or stories, protect his props, write new material..." Ash mused.

"Is it really true that there are minstrels that can sing magic like songs?" a pink haired girl wondered.

"Yes-although they are very few in number." Ash replied. "In fact..." He reached for his saefleita. "I don't normally do this, but our lodge's guardian, Lugia, once helped to aid such a minstrel in saving the world." With that, he began playing the summon cycle for Lugia: the sad sounding Earth melody, which segued into the mystic sounding Fire melody. The wind began picking up strength and speed as Ash played the joyful sounding Wind section, culminating in a bright flash of silver light as he concluded the prayerful Water section to complete the cycle. The apprentices gasped and looked up at the starry sky as a large white dragon-like bird emerged from the light with a cry.

"Hail and well met, Silver Guardian." Ash began as he bowed before the dragon bird Pokemon hovering above him.

"And to you likewise, Ash of Asimiro...how may I be of service this evening?" Lugia replied.

"Please, tell my apprentices the tale of the ultimate Song Magic and the necklace that held the colors of the gods." Ash replied.

"It is a long story, but I will attempt to tell it in a reasonable amount of time." Lugia replied. "Long ago, the demon lord Kione looked down upon the world that Our Lady Anima had made-why couldn't he have such a beautiful world to rule? He searched for something-anything at all-that he could use to destroy the Holy Realm and create a world he could rule filled with despair and grief. Eventually, his spies told him that the best thing to do was to destroy Anima herself, and to do that, he had to slay her Guardians-us-before he could do battle with her personally."

"So what did you do?" the navy haired boy asked.

"Our leader, the Great Arceus, feared for all of us when he heard the rumors of Kione's plot, and asked Anima and the other gods what we could do to save ourselves. " Lugia continued. "Anima told us not to worry, for the songs of those that could sing magic would save us and the universe-when they created the world, the gods each formed a little of their power into a bead, and hid these beads all across the world. But what Anima did not know was that Kione was infiltrating these places and filling them with monsters to deter those minstrels that would find these beads-he knew very well that if all eight were brought together in the hands of a Song Mage, they would create the ultimate Song Magic spell-Rainbow Symphony. Many minstrels tried to gather the beads, and many minstrels and adventurers died making the dangerous journey. We all feared that we too would fall by Kione's hand."

"And then?" the auburn haired girl asked as her Taillow fluttered by her side.

"Just as all hope seemed lost, a minstrel whose name is only known to Lady Anima finally managed to assemble all eight beads in a necklace, and unleashed the spell Rainbow Symphony atop Voima Hill, the one place in the north lands that is not affected by its harsh cold. Lugia replied. "The song was strong enough to banish Kione to the underworld, and when it concluded, his necklace shattered, scattering the beads to eight new locations should Kione try again to storm the Holy Realm. This necklace, the Necklace of the Mystical Rainbow, should only be assembled in a time of great need, and by a minstrel with the ability to sing magic."

Everyone applauded. "Thank you, Sir Lugia!" the apprentices chorused.

"My thanks as well." Ash added.

"You're most welcome." and Lugia soared off into the sky. Ash waved goodbye and relaxed under the tree, contemplating what would happen on his adventure.

After bidding Milina and his apprentices goodbye, Ash set out early the next morning with Pikachu for Hopea, a town on the northern edge of the Luse Forest. They made good time across the Raduga Plains from Masuliro to the town of Hijau, but the sun was setting by the time the two of them arrived in the forest and made camp by a stream.

Once sure that the pile of sticks he had gathered was the right size, Ash began focusing a ball of red energy in his hands. "Out of the ground, raze all greenery with flame! Fire!" The red energy ball went flying at the sticks, starting a campfire.

"Pika!" Pikachu romped up to the flickering flames and began warming his paws.

"You want to help with dinner?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded as his master slid some Pidgey meat onto a spit over the fire. "Go see if you can find some Berries to go with this meat."

"Chu!" With that, Pikachu darted off into the brush, leaving Ash to doze beside his campfire, periodically turning the meat or looking to see if his familiar had returned.

Some rustling in the grass woke him from his nap twenty minutes later. "Pikachu?" he stammered as he got up from the grass to see what was rustling in a nearby bush. "Is that you?"

"SCYTHER!" a large muscular mantis cried as it sprung from the bush, knocking Ash backwards. He scrambled to his feet and drew his sword seconds before the Scyther could raid his camp and snatch the roasting meat. The Scyther bared its claws and tried to scratch Ash's face, but impacted the sword's blade with a CLANG! It tried again and again to get to the frightened mage wielding the beautiful blade with angel wings inlaid with rubies forming the guard, but was blacked every time by the sword.

Ash gritted his teeth as he deflected the Scyther's claws again and again-he hadn't counted on being ambushed by a hostile Pokemon. He finally stabbed at the Scyther's stomach seconds before the Scyther could slash his face, making his attacker rear back in pain.

With the Scyther wounded, Ash decided to try focusing some lightning energy through the emerald in the pommel of his weapon in hopes it would drive the Scyther away. "Swirling bolts, gather and strike with power! Thunder!" The Scyther was not prepared for the thunderbolts that came streaking from Ash's blade, and howled in pain as it fell to the ground.

"Good riddance..." Ash grumbled as he sheathed his weapon and started down a path by the stream. Suddenly, he heard a keening scream as he was thrown to the ground-the Scyther had apparently recovered from his spell! He cried again and again as the Scyther's claws tore his cloak and into his clothing, making dark red stains form on his back and legs. An attempt to roll over and get up only resulted in more large gashes on his chest. Finally, the Scyther flew off into the brush, chittering happily over its revenge it had gotten over the mage that lay bloodied and beaten on the path.

Just then, Pikachu appeared in the distance. "Pikapi!" he gasped when he saw his master bleeding on the ground. "Pika pika?" he asked as he set his berries aside, hurried back to his master's bag, and tried bandaging Ash's wounds with pieces of a blanket.

"Scyther...attacked...me..." Ash groaned in pain. "Go...get...help..."

"Pika! Pika chu, Pikapi!" Pikachu assured his master. Ash moaned again and collapsed into the dirt, the last thing he saw being Pikachu darting off into the grass in a mad dash attempt to find someone that could save his life...

**To Be Continued...**


	2. A Minstrel's Quest

Episode 2: A Minstrel's Quest

A furry sensation against his arm spurred Ash to groan a little. He wasn't in the forest anymore, and the Scyther that attacked him was nowhere to be found. But where was he? Was the soft harp playing a calm melody a sign he had ascended to the Holy Realm? _I couldn't have died back there..._ he thought as he felt his shoulder and heaved a sigh of relief at the warm touch. _Then why am I hearing a harp?_

His eyes flickered open, allowing him to see the large pale yellow cat circling the bed he lay on and the harpist that was performing by the entrance to the room-judging from his age, he appeared about eighteen to twenty years old, his earthen hair and tan skin the perfect complement to the dull red and gold tunic and white leggings he wore. A dull red cloak identical to the tunic's color hung on a hook by the door. Ash recognized the cloak's clasp-a Taillow spreading its wings signified that the cloak's owner was a minstrel.

When the hypnotic melody concluded, the small silver tiara the cat was wearing glowed. "The mage has awoken, master." she began. "I was able to heal the wounds on his arms and hands, but the ones on his body are too deep for my simple magic to heal."

Ash couldn't believe his ears-Pokemon speaking the language of humans only existed among archmages and those they favored. He sat up and prepared to ask the minstrel how his Persian could speak, but a sharp pain in his chest forced him to lie back down again.

"Peace, Master Mage-you're safe now." the Persian replied. "I found you in the woods and carried you to my master's house, where you now lie."

"Th-thank you..." Ash stammered, his mind swimming with questions and his chest throbbing with pain. "Although, might I know your name, lady Persian?"

"My name is Kissa." the Persian replied. "I speak because of the Archmage's Tiara given to my master from the archmage of the northern lodge of Miranai as thanks for performing for the archmage's 30th year of service."

"Kissa found you bleeding and beaten in the forest and brought you here." the minstrel replied before lifting his hands to the harp strings again. "Healing water, immerse this hurting and weary soul...Cleansing Pool." With that, he started playing a soft and gentle melody, creating a warm and wet feeling around Ash. Although he knew full well that he was actually lying in a bed, Ash was shocked that as long as the minstrel played his harp, it looked very much like he was in a puddle of water-yet neither the bed he was on, the linens on it, nor the floor showed signs of being wet!

"Suprised?" the minstrel smiled as Ash examined the wounds on his chest-they had shrunk significantly and were not causing him quite as much pain as before.

"Yeah...was that...Song Magic?" Ash gasped.

"You speak the truth." Kissa replied. "My master discovered he had the talent when he was just an apprentice-every song he sang caused plants to grow, dying embers to reignite, and dry springs to fill with water once more, among other things."

The minstrel set his instrument on a shelf as he studied Ash's healing wounds. "Your wounds are deep, and I may have to play Cleansing Pool a few times before they heal completely...you were fortunate to have Kissa find you, or you would've died out there."

"Oh, but it was not mere chance I found him there-his Pikachu guided me to him." Kissa assured the minstrel. Pikachu romped in the room, elated that his master was alive.

"I owe you my life, Sir Minstrel..." Ash began as he cuddled Pikachu.

"Sir Brock of Hopea, trained in the Amhran Order of Minstrels." the minstrel replied. "Now that I have told you my name, might you tell me yours?"

"I am Ash of Asimiro Lodge-I was on my way to Hopea when that Scyther attacked." Ash said. "Although I must ask how you know Song Magic-or why so few minstrels can wield it."

"The first question I cannot answer so easily-you would have to ask a High Minstrel how it works." Brock replied before sitting down in a chair beside the bed. "Your second question has an easier answer-the reason why Song Magic is so rare is because it is a very difficult art to learn even if you have innate talent. Most minstrels often don't teach anyone for that reason alone."

"Forgive for intruding in your discussion, but what were you doing out in the woods so late at night, Master Ash?" Kissa asked as she trotted up close to the bed. Pikachu decided to hop off the bed and hurry off into the house's foyer, where he returned carrying the bag containing Ash's saefleita, sword, and potion.

"Many mages, in addition to teaching apprentices, also serve a companion, as a reminder of our founder's devotion to serving others." Ash explained.

"Although the founder of Asimiro Lodge is now known only to Lady Anima, his passion for serving others spurred other lodges to command their mages seek out companions, a practice continued today." Brock interjected before beckoning Ash to continue.

"So even though I have only been a full mage for a short time, I made myself a Misty Potion of Vigor and set out for Hopea in hopes I would find someone to serve there. But since I've met you two and actually seeing Song Magic with my own eyes, I've decided that maybe I don't need to search any farther for a companion." Ash mused before inviting Pikachu into his arms. "That, and I really want to learn Song Magic."

Brock thought for a moment. "If you need someone to serve, I could teach you Song Magic in return for your service..."

"I accept your offer." Ash smiled as Pikachu gave Kissa the potion. "Please accept this Misty Potion of Vigor as a sign of my loyalty to you."

"Consider your gift accepted." Brock replied as he went to set the potion on a shelf in the kitchen before returning. "But before we begin any service at all, let's have your wounds heal first."

A sudden spasm of pain caused Ash to moan a little, but he was soon calmed by the soothing melody of Brock's harp wafting around him. Kissa resumed her patrol around the bed as her master performed, allowing both Ash and Pikachu to doze.

_A few days later..._

Kissa watched as Brock examined Ash's wounds-after several days of rest and many performances of Cleansing Pool, the bloody gashes that once dotted the mage's body were either pink outlines or healed completely. "He appears to be fully recovered, master..."

"I know, but if he needs more time to heal, leave him be." Brock cautioned. "Anima knows when it is time for a full recovery."

"But I'm ready to get up now..." Ash yawned as he groggily sat up in the bed. He heaved a sigh of relief that there was no longer any pain in his chest, just some stiffness in his legs. "I want to set out on an adventure, travel across the land, learn Song Magic..."

"I don't know about the first two things, but we can start with the third after you get up and eat." Kissa replied, stiffling a giggle as Ash stepped behind a screen to dress. Ash sighed-he had been cooped up in bed, and now Kissa was seemingly laughing at his eagerness to get out of bed? He wasn't sure if that was the real reason for Kissa's giggles, but for the moment, he assumed she meant well and found his enthusiasm charming.

"You're here..." Brock smiled as he offered Ash a place at the table overlooking the window with a view of the forest and Hopea, with its stone houses and grey tile roofs, in the distance. Ash made himself comfortable at the place his new friend offered him, and smiled as a plate piled high with fresh bread, some meat, and a dizzying array of Berries was set before him-this was way better than the stale bread and hard cheese he often had to eat at the lodge! Of course, his becoming a teacher not long after he had become a full mage meant he got slightly better food, but that didn't matter now. Just the fact that Brock had clearly made the food with just as much love and care as his family or the bakers in towns showed how much he cared for his guests.

"Tell me...how does a mage hone their skills?" Brock asked as he bit into a piece of bread, every so often offering a piece of ham for Kissa.

"Likewise, how does a minstrel train?" Ash replied. "I'll tell you about my time at the lodge if you tell me about the minstrel's hall."

"Well, minstrels begin training at ten years old, like most any profession, and become a full fledged minstrel at age fifteen or sixteen." Brock replied. Ash thought for a moment-assuming Brock had fledged at that time, that would mean he had been a minstrel for about three to five years, judging from his age. "Although if they have the talent for Song Magic, they may stay longer, depending on when the talent is discovered."

"Mages fledge after three or four years, and many stay at the lodge to teach new apprentices..." Ash started as he got up from the table and retrieved his sword. "When we fledge, we receive a weapon to commemorate the occassion-I received mine six months ago." He procceeded to show Brock a few fighting moves to illustrate his point.

"Strong enough to wield a sword, are you?" he heard Brock say before another sword met his blade with a CLANG! "Most mages I see wield staves or bows..."

"The apprentice can choose what sort of weapon they want to receive when they fledge." Ash explained as he disengaged. "and I chose a sword because I admired the many heroes in tales minstrels like you told."

"Oh, master, must we spar where there are many precious items about?" Kissa sighed-she had not expected a swordfight to almost break out in the kitchen.

Brock blushed. "You're right, Kissa..." He waited for Ash to sheathe his weapon, then offered his blade for Ash. "This is the Mystical Sword of Colors-most blades we minstrels receive have eight gems in the guard in rememberance of the first wielder of Rainbow Symphony." Ash nodded as he admired the butterfly shaped guard of Brock's weapon, each section of its wings inlaid with a gem. "But now is not the time to spar..." he continued as he too sheathed his weapon and began clearing the table. "I have a gift for you too, in return for the gift you gave me."

"What is it?" Ash wondered as he watched his friend place a small gold flute in his hands. Unlike his saefleita, which was sideblown, this flute appeared to be endblown, judging from the small mouthpiece.

"That is a Dreamer's Flute-an instrument specifically designed for using Song Magic." Brock replied.

"But why do I need another flute? I have my saefleita..." Ash protested as he fished his saefleita from his bag and played the four note melody to call Pikachu to his side.

"The bird's flute is all well and good for calling familiars, but didn't the archmage or high mage tell you why every summon song was so short?" Brock asked, taking his harp and motioning for Ash to follow him outside.

"So that if a mage had many familiars, they could remember and keep track of them all." Ash replied as he followed Brock and Kissa out to a clearing not far from the house.

"Song Magic is not meant for short bursts of magic like the bird's flute-to get the full effect of a spell, you need to play for as long as you can, like a lucid dream." Brock explained. "The Dreamer's Flute can play more than six or seven notes at a time, which will help you tremendously with casting Song Magic." After pausing to tune his harp, he continued. "Flutes aren't the only instrument you can use-harps, fiddles, horns, anything that is capable of making continuous sound is a viable way to cast Song Magic."

"Even drums?" Ash challenged.

"Even drums, if you keep a steady beat going." Brock assured Ash before readying his harp to play. "Now, draw your blade and watch what happens here." Ash complied with the request and watched as Brock commanded "Flames of passion, give this blade an anger that burns! Fire Blade!"

As Brock began to play, Ash gasped in awe as his blade began to turn red, then burst into flames-and his weapon didn't even melt! "How...is this happening?"

"For as long as I played, I willed for your blade to gain the power of fire-that's the other part of using Song Magic." Brock explained.

"So I have to want the desired spell to happen? Easy!" Ash smiled before taking his new flute and playing a stream of random notes in hopes his blade would ignite again. Pikachu laughed as Ash's song grew more desprate and out of tune, his face scrunching up with determination all the while.

"Just wanting the spell to happen and playing something won't do a thing." Brock cautioned, stopping Ash's song. "You have to name the desired spell first."

"So that stuff about flames of passion wasn't just for show..." Ash noted.

"Now..." Brock paused to set his instrument aside and draw his own blade. "Can you enchant my blade with fire like I did yours? Let's see if you have the talent to sing magic!"

Ash took a deep breath and stammered "Flames o-of passion, give this b-blade a fire that burns! Fire Blade!" With that, he started to play the tune 'The Silver Sword', making Brock's sword begin to glow red-until he stumbled over a wrong note, making the glow fade.

Brock grimaced. "It's a start-you may have a little talent in you after all."

"I apologize for interrupting the Song Magic lesson, but the Midday Hour grows near, and the children of Hopea await you." Kissa interjected.

"Very well." Brock replied as he sheathed his blade, gathered his supplies, and followed Kissa down the forest path, Ash not far behind.

The sun was already high overhead as Ash and Brock arrived in Hopea that afternoon. "So, what sorts of stories do you tell?" Ash asked as he followed Brock to the town square.

"It depends on my audience-if it is a mixture of children and adults, they are tales of heroic deeds or magical Pokemon." Brock replied as he accepted his harp from Kissa. "If it is mainly children, like it is today, they will mainly be tales of how things came to be and tales of virtue."

"What do you want me to do?" Ash asked, toying with the Dreamer's Flute.

"Depending on the tale and your acting ability, you may play a role-otherwise, assist with props, and play the Flute at the appropriate time." Brock replied before beginning a calm melody. iCome one, and come all, for I have stories to be told, of adventure, and magic, and treasure worth more than gold./i Ash nodded and found an outcropping by the fountain as a variety of children and some adults gathered around Brock's feet.

"Sir Brock, who is your new friend?" a woman asked.

"This is Ash, a mage from the lodge at Masuliro-my new companion." Brock replied. "He will be assisting with performances."

One girl saw Pikachu peeking from Ash's cloak. "Sir Brock, why do Pikachus have stripes on their backs?" she asked.

"It is because of Sorin's boasting to an Ursaring-perhaps you would like to hear the tale?" Brock asked the crowd. Ash's eyes lit up-aside from tales of heroes, tales of the crafty Pikachu Sorin were his favorite stories when he was younger. He would always laugh at Sorin's over the top tricks, and revel in how Mightyenas, Raikous, and the occassional Ursaring got their just desserts by the paw of a tiny Pikachu. But this was a Sorin tale he had not heard before, so he crossed his legs and listened as Brock began a quiet melody.

"Long ago, the Pokemon of the world lived in peace and spoke the language of humans." Brock began. "Sorin was a confident and brave Pikachu, and always had something to say on even the most trivial of matters. Yet the Pokemon listened anyway, because in those days, everyone listened to everyone. The problem was, Sorin did not know when to stop talking." He played a brisk yet steady melody, as if mimicing someone talking. "When anyone passed his burrow, he would run up to them and talk for hours. Shinkijika, for example, would smile, nod, and continue on her way, but Sorin would be right behind her, eager to talk even more."

The crowd laughed at this before Brock's melody turned quiet again. "One day, Ursaring happened to pass by Sorin's burrow. Sorin saw him and called. He then switched to a high pitched male voice. "Good day, Ursaring! Won't you walk with me?" Even Ash couldn't help laughing at how very similar Brock's "Sorin" voice sounded to a Pikachu cry.

As himself, Brock continued. "Now, Ursaring was a proud Pokemon, and fancied himself as the strongest among them, so he had little patience for smaller creatures. So he said to Sorin..." he next switched to a deep, gruff voice. "No thank you, Sorin-I have more important matters to attend to today."

"Why do you think so highly of yourself?" he asked as Sorin.

"Uh...I'm big...I'm strong, and I can do anything!" he replied as Ursaring.

"ANYTHING?" he challenged as Sorin.

"Anything." he replied as Ursaring. Ash joined the crowd in applauding Brock's ability to singlehandedly carry a complete conversation between two personas.

Brock waited for the applause to die down before continuing as himself "Sorin began to laugh, and Ursaring was angry that someone had the nerve to laugh at him." The children giggled as Brock mimiced someone laughing on the harp before demanding as Ursaring "Why do you laugh at ME?"

"I know one thing you can't do!" he proclaims as Sorin. "You can't stop Ho'oh's journey across the sky!" The crowd gasped at this, but Ash was chuckling at how Ursaring would likely react.

"You could've heard a pin drop all through the forest at Sorin's challenge." Brock continued as himself. "The birds stopped singing, and Shinkijika, who had been passing by at that moment, stopped to hear Ursaring's answer. The Ekans, the Squirtles, the Bunearies, and the Rattatas all stopped what they were doing-every Pokemon waited to hear what Ursaring's answer would be." He lets that hang for a moment.

After a few tense seconds, Ash worked up the courage to ask "So, what did Ursaring say?"

"He thought for a moment before replying..." Brock pauses to switch to his Ursaring persona. "I have not tried that, but I'm sure I could if I wanted to."

"Oh no, you can't!" he mocks as Sorin.

"Yes, I can!" he counters as Ursaring. "Tomorrow, I will stop Ho'oh's journey to the west!" Some "oh"s waft through the crowd at this before Brock began a panicked sounding melody. "The forest erupted into a panic, and many Pokemon stayed up all night in fear of what would happen in the morning. But Sorin slept peacefully that night, confident Ursaring could not stop Ho'oh." His song calmed down as he continued. "Naturally, Anima commanded Ho'oh to begin her daily flight the next morning, and try as Ursaring might, Ho'oh paid no mind to his commands."

"Now, see? Ho'oh ignored you, you're not that powerful!" he taunted as Sorin. As himself, he continued over his panicked melody "This was the last straw for Ursaring, and he ran after Sorin, swiping him all the while with his great claws." Gasps go up from the crowd-even Ash had a lump in his throat in fear that Sorin didn't survive. "Sorin made it back to his burrow alive, but he had scars on his back where Ursaring had scratched him. In time, these claw marks turned brown and healed no further. Since then, Pikachus bear these stripes as a reminder of Sorin's folly." Applause filled the air at the story's conclusion.

"See why my master is so respected?" Kissa smiled before running to collect the coins the croud threw on the ground.

"I do..." Ash smiled-maybe he had made the right choice of a companion! He wondered what Milina would say if he told her about Brock and Kissa...

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Adventure's Calling

Episode 3: Adventure's Calling

"Dear Milina..." Ash dictated to an enchanted quill, making it write the words on a piece of parchment. "I have made it to Hopea...nah..." At this, the quill shook some fairy dust on the rejected fragment, making it disappear. "I almost made it to Hopea in one piece...nah...I would not have...maybe not..."

"What's that?" Brock asked as he walked in the room just as the quill made fragment after fragment disappear.

"I'm trying to write a letter to my mentor back at the lodge." Ash explained as the quill hovered back to the left margin under his greeting. "Problem is, I'm not sure how to explain my attack and your rescuing me."

"Just assure your mentor that you are safe for now, then talk about the attack and how we rescued you." Brock suggested.

"I think I will..." Ash replied before addressing the quill again. "I am well-I would not have made it to Hopea in one piece had I not been rescued by the minstrel that serves the town, Sir Brock of the Amhran Hall. While I was on my way through the forest, I was attacked by a Scyther, and despite my best efforts to drive it away, it wounded me and left me for dead. Pikachu met Sir Brock's Pokemon companion, a Persian named Kissa, and she brought me to her master's house. When I came to, I learned that Sir Brock is one of the very few minstrels that can sing magic, and was more than happy to teach me in return for my service..." He continued dictating to the quill for several minutes, making sure to include his thoughts on his new companion and the performance they had just returned from.

"I'm not sure I have seen quills that write on their own before..." Brock noted as the quill finished writing and the parchment rose up before Ash for him to look it over.

"Most mages receive a living quill when they visit the library for the first time." Ash explained as the completed letter was warped away to its destination and the quill stretched out on the table in a Persian-like fashion. "They develop their own personalities depending on what their owner writes." At this, the quill perked up. "Say hi to my friends Brock and Kissa, Vardi." Ash cooed. The quill complied by writing "Hello!" in sparkly letters in the air before settling back in its inkwell.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Vardi." Brock smiled as he petted the quill, which intertwined around his thumb for a moment in a loving gesture. Kissa purred in agreement as the quill stroked her fur for a moment.

"I think she likes you two." Ash smiled as Vardi returned to the inkwell.

"It must be quite entertaining with living objects all over the lodge." Brock chuckled as he pictured dancing dishes, more living quills, clothing that washed itself, and walking books.

"Not every object in the mage's lodge is alive per se, but we can command clothes to hang up, dishes to wash themselves, and books to turn to a certain page." Ash explained. As for having actual personalities, our familiars and quills are the only living items we as apprentices can handle-I'm sure the high mages and archmages have even more, but I was never allowed into a high mage's or an archmage's chamber."

"Even though I have met an archmage, we didn't go into the archmage's chamber when I performed at Mirenai lodge-the Archmage's Tiara was presented to me in the common room." Brock explained. "So I know no more about enchanted objects than you do."

"So what exactly do apprentice minstrels do?" Ash wondered. He pictured a group music lesson where every apprentice had to learn the harp, like it or not.

"Well..." Brock was unsure-it had been a long time since he had been asked that question. "I can assure you it's not what you picture it being-there are no group harp lessons or learning tales by rote. There's also no auditions-being there means you have at least some form of performance talent, and this is what you study first. In my case, I started with honing my skill on the lute."

"Can you still play the lute at all?" Ash asked-so far, he had only seen his companion play the harp. "Or any other instrument?"

"I can still play the lute somewhat, and am proficient on whistles like the Dreamer's Flute, in addition to my harp." Brock replied. "In fact, I was practicing on my first harp when I met Kissa."

"Really?" Ash was interested. "Were you practicing for a recital or something?"

"Not so much a recital as a performance exam-every so often, our teacher would ask us to perform certain pieces for a grade." Brock mused. "While the name of what I was practicing that day escapes me, I felt that I knew it well enough to earn top honors. Just as I prepared to run through it one last time, I heard a tiny cry coming from the green. I thought it was my imagination at first, but every time I tried to begin my piece, I kept hearing it-a tiny, frightened mew."

"So what did you do?" Ash was interested in the story now.

"I set my harp aside, threw on my cloak, and hurried through the rain to the green, where I found a young Meowth huddled in a bush, shivering from the wind and rain. Once I had gotten it inside and asked the healer to examine it, I returned to the foyer to resume practicing." Brock continued. "Yet my mind was on that poor little Meowth, and I couldn't concentrate at all."

"Did the high minstrel let you keep it?" Ash was piqued.

"Yes-the healer had found that the Meowth was healthy, and so I asked the high minstrel if I could keep it. She accepted my offer-and Kissa and I have been together ever since." Brock concluded.

Just then, Ash saw Kissa's tiara glow again. "I hear them..." she began.

"Hear who?" Ash asked-there was no one else in the house except for the three of them.

"The Beads of the Elements..." Kissa replied. "When darkness falls upon the land, they will sing for someone to rescue them."

Ash thought back to a few days before-was it possible that the Scyther attack that nearly killed him was a sign of something far more sinister?_ Nah, that can't be-there'd have to be attacks right and left if Kione was really on the move..._

"So again the dark king roams the land, bringing terror and despair in his wake..." Brock mused "Including Pokemon going wild."

"So are we leaving on an adventure?" Ash asked as he watched Brock carry down some clothing, food, and medicine.

"I am, but someone has to watch the house while Kissa and I are away." Brock replied. "So I want you to housesit while we're gone."

"But that's not fair!" Ash pleaded. "Companions are supposed to stick together through thick and thin! Besides, I have no idea how long you will be away, and I would be very lonely."

"The search for the Beads is for minstrels alone..." Brock countered.

"So? Many minstrels had companions on their journey, and I want to return the favor for your rescuing me, even though we have only been together a short time!" Ash pleaded.

"Let Ash make his case for going on the journey with us-he may have a perfectly good reason for wanting to go." Kissa interjected, dissapating the arguement.

"Okay...I'll hear you out-why is it that you want to travel with me on such a dangerous quest?" Brock asked, his voice calm yet stern. "Tell me the truth."

Ash swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, then began. "Long ago, nearby a village whose name is lost to us, the fairies that guarded the village came out from their hiding places to gather dew long before the people of the village awoke, led by their queen, Papillion.

Suddenly, they heard a great roar that shook the earth and saw a red plume of flame coming from the forest. When they went to get a closer look, they saw what the noise was-the great Dragonite that had brought terror on the village for several months.

The fairies had heard the villager's rumors about the Dragonite, but had never seen him. Now, he was rearing up on his scaly orange legs, daring a knight that stood before him to challenge him.

A great battle broke out, and the fairies cheered their hardest for the knight..." Ash spared no detail in describing the battle between the knight and Dragonite, how the knight finally slew the huge Pokemon with his last bit of strength, and the fairies' decision to revive the one that had saved the village.

Slince filled the air at the story's conclusion before Brock spoke again. "A well told tale, but what does that have to do with my not allowing you to go on the quest for the Beads of the Elements?"

"My point is, rather than being in the background like the fairies while you go out to save the world, I want to help you!" Ash pleaded. "Long have I dreamed of going on a quest with someone, and searching for the Beads of the Elements is a perfectly good quest. Furthermore, no one can save the world alone."

"He has a point..." Kissa agreed. "My magic is limited, and Ash can likely do more than I can to help..."

"Oh, all right..." Brock sighed. "You can come along on this adventure."

"YEEEEEESSSSSS!" Ash cheered before a thought occurred to him. "Although...where are we supposed to find the Beads?"

"We can probably visit the master of Amhran Hall-she would probably know where the Beads have been singing." Brock replied. "So rest well-my home hall is a long way from here."

Ash hurried to gather his gear before returning to his room. He could hardly sleep-he was still excited about embarking on a real quest!

**To Be Continued...**


	4. The Song of the Elements

Episode 4: The Song of the Elements

"So this is Amhran Hall..." Ash mused as he looked up at the large building past the steel gate. He followed Brock across the green and inside the majestic temple-like building with large windows and vine-like spires atop curved archways. The nature theme continued on the inside of the hall, with leaf and flower inlays filling the walls and furnishings, and even the wood floors. Normally, there would be music of all kinds filling the air, but it was mostly quiet, save for an apprentice practicing a piece to be graded or a group of apprentices in simple dull blue tunics and leggings swapping stories. Ash reached out and touched an inlay of a Pikachu in the wall as Brock led the way into a large open domed room with hallways in all four directions. A fountain of Articuno flying stood in the center of a multicolored compass design in the center of the room.

"What do you think?" Brock asked as he sat down one one of the benches surrounding the fountain.

"It's beautiful!" Ash replied as he admired the sunshine streaming through some stained glass windows nearby the domed ceiling, projecting scenes of Treeckos in the brush, Ninetales arguing with an Entei, a crowd of Pokemon dancing, and many other scenes from tales he had heard minstrels tell on the tile floor.

"This is Harmony Square-the center location of the hall." Brock explained. "Apprentices often like to gather here, especially when it rains. Some often practice their storytelling and dancing here."

"And there are plenty of sunny spots for me to relax in." Kissa agreed as she sprawled out onto the floor and dozed off, the sun projecting the stained glass image of a Taillow flying on her fur.

"Have the apprentices met a mage before?" Ash wondered as a group of apprentices crossed from the northern hallway to the east hallway, curiously eying him all the while.

"Mages have visited before, usually to help those with Song Magic hone their power." Brock explained. Ash nodded as he studied the various instruments hanging on one wall-having a mage to help control the fireballs and icebolts an apprentice played made perfect sense. "We have had a few that were quite the storyteller themselves-you do know a good story or two, right?"

"Well..." Ash took a few deep breaths to quell the Beautiflies in his stomach before continuing. "I know a few, but I'm not that good." He feared Brock was about to put him on the spot to perform-or worse, leave him to perform alone.

"Remember when I told you that depending on your acting ability, you might be playing a role in a tale? This is one of those occassions." Brock explained. "In addition to seeing the Lady Arina, I often return here to share new stories with the apprentices."

"He has grown quite close to many of them, but there is one that he looks foward to seeing every visit." Kissa added as she swiped at a passing Venonat with a paw.

"Her name is Ayra, and while she is no prodigy in the hall, she's got enthusiasm for learning or just playing tunes." Brock explained. "One of the very few I will get the lute out for."

"And one of the very few times I refuse to listen." Kissa muttered as she eyed the Venonat that was now crawling on the floor in front of her.

"Are you saying my lute playing's bad?" Brock snapped, appalled at the Persian's remark.

"No-you're likely out of practice." Kissa assured her embarrassed master before resuming her Venonat hunt. "Besides, I prefer to hear you play the harp or cadena..."

"He's here!" a female voice called in the distance. Ash whirled around and saw a girl about ten years old racing down the north hall to meet the two of them, her thick yellow brown curls bouncing in rhythm to the thuds of her shoes.

"Hi, Ayra..." Brock smiled as the girl set down an instrument case and gave him a hug. "Is Her Ladyship here at the moment?"

"Lady Arina is away in the Room of Lore right now." Ayra replied as she opened her case and took the fiddle inside. "She's wondering if it's time for someone to put the Necklace together based on the wild Pokemon attacks we've been having-maybe you're the someone the Beads are calling?"

"Kissa has heard the Beads singing, so I wouldn't be surprised if I were worthy to undertake the quest." Brock replied as Ayra began tuning her instrument.

"Are the instruments on the walls for playing?" Ash wondered as he fished the Dreamer's Flute from his bag.

"Of course-Lady Arina says they are welcome for anyone to play if they have the skill for it, Sir Mage." Ayra replied as she offered Brock a slightly curved box shaped instrument with many strings and a short ebony fingerboard. "In addition to harp and lute, Sir Brock is a master at the cadena."

"It's mainly used to provide a backing drone for melody instruments, but it can play melodies on its own if you have one finger free to play the melody in addition to a finger to play the chords." Brock explained as he slipped some small sleeves over three of his fingers.

"If you're only going to play a drone, you only wear three of the sleeves, so you have two fingers free-one to help hold it and one to finger the notes." Ayra added. "I don't play it too often because it's so heavy."

"Can't you lie it on something and strum it that way?" Ash asked-he had seen minstrels with zithers before, and figured the cadena could be played in a similar manner.

"It's possible, but some surfaces resonate better than others." Kissa replied as the Venonat she had been stalking flew away. "We've found that wood sounds the best, especially an old wood."

"Okay..." Brock waited for Ayra to finish tuning from one of the stone benches surrounding the fountain, the cadena cradled in his arms. "Let's see if I remember how to do this..." After finding the D minor position towards the center of the fingerboard, an idea came to him. He removed one of the protective sleeves and began a moderately paced jig-like melody, making a soft lute-like sound resonate through the room.

Ash instantly recognized the tune's introduction. "I know that song! That's 'The Luck of Fiani!'" After tapping his foot a few times to count himself off, he began singing along. _"I once was in a prison cold, some games of chance my crime, I thought to tell those that were there of this misfortune of mine..._

_How I tried winning gold and lasses, only to be put in chains, and that my one hope of escape was the Lady of the Rains... _Ayra joined in, her fiddle doubling Ash's voice an octave above. Pikachu sat close by, nodding his head along with the daring tale of how the hero Fiani offered to help the gambler go free in exchange for playing against her in a dice game, and how the gambler wins despite Fiani getting a good roll that was difficult to beat.

"Bravo!" Kissa smiled over Pikachu's applause when the song concluded.

"You're not that bad a singer, Ash; if I say so myself." Brock noted as he and Ayra put the instruments back in order.

"It's not minstrel worthy, but it's okay." Kissa commented. "And oddly pleasent to listen to."

"Do you have any new stories to tell me?" Ayra asked, changing the subject.

"Why yes, I do...and Ash will be helping me tell this tale." Brock replied, motioning for Ash to stand by the east side of the fountain.

"Oh, Brock, still at it with your hokey stories of magic instruments and talking Pokemon?" a girl with deep red hair smirked as she entered the square. "Every minstrel knows that tales of heroes are in this year!"

"Brock can tell any sort of story he wants, Roni!" Ayra snapped. "Besides, you're not the boss of the hall!"

"I'd tell about any hero for you, my dear Roni..." Brock dreamily smiled, enamored in Roni's flowing hair that complimented her dull green tunic and leggings.

"Hello..." Ash waved a hand in front of Brock's face, but all his friend could focus on was the mischievous gleam in Roni's eyes. Finally, he reached for the Dreamer's Flute and blew the loudest and highest note he could muster, snapping Brock from his trance.

Some gentle laughter filled the air as a black haired woman in a rainbow colored robe-like outfit entered the room. "Oh, come now, Roni, looks aren't everything when performing..."

"Lady Arina!" Ayra gasped.

Roni stormed out of the room and down the south hallway. "I don't know why you wish to speak with Lady Arina, but if it's about the Beads of the Elements, know this-I will be the one to find the beads and unleash Rainbow Symphony! Just you wait!" With that, she disappeared down the hallway, muttering all the while.

"Who was that?" Ash wondered, unnerved by Roni's behavior.

"Roni and Brock have never gotten along-she would use her wiles to force him to do her bidding." Arina explained. "She doesn't understand that performance is not about impressing anyone-what matters is that you share our world's songs, stories, and culture with all your heart."

"She even uses her knowledge of Song Magic to impress people-if it works." Brock added.

"Now, what tale were you going to tell me before Roni butted in?" Ayra asked, changing the subject. "I'm sure Lady Arina would want to hear it too."

"Oh, yes-my tale." Brock motioned for Ash to get back into position. "One winter, it turned so cold, there was nothing for even the Pokemon to eat." Ash snapped to attention-this was how the story "Ninetales and the Well" began! "This included the lovely Ninetales..." he added as he retrieved his harp and began mimicing tiptoing. "She desprately searched the land for some sort of food. One day, she came to a village, and saw many Torchics milling about on the square." Inspired, Ash mimiced a Torchic's peep with the Dreamer's Flute, making Ayra giggle. "Ninetales quickly caught three and ate two of them right away." Ash delibrately overblows a high note to mimic a dying Torchic.

"The rivers were all froze over, so Ninetales came to the well in the center of the town square." Brock continued. "She looked down into the water below and saw seemingly another Ninetales staring back at her-not knowing this was her own reflection. She yelled and screamed and taunted to the other Ninetales, and the other Ninetales yelled and screamed and taunted right back. " Arina chuckled at Ash pantomiming screaming and yelling and taunting. "Just then, Ninetales saw the bucket at the surface, and thought..." He switches to a female voice. "I'll just come down there to speak with this lass." As himself, he continues. "So Ninetales climbed into the bucket and lowered herself down into the cold and dark well." Ash pantomimes pulling on a rope to illustrate this. "The bucket stopped just below the water's surface, and Ninetales had a dillema: How would she get out of the well as easily as she got in?" Ash shivers to illustrate Brock's point, as if he really is Ninetales in the well.

"Just then, Ninetales' rival, Mightyena, happened to pass that way, and like many other Pokemon, he was hungry." Brock narrates as Ash trudges past a nearby plant pot in time to the harp's tiptoing rhythm, now in character as Mightyena. "He too looked down into the well, and thought his reflection was another Mightyena. He screamed..."

"I'm the leader of the pack around here!" Ash yells in character.

"But the other Mightyena yelled the same thing back to him." Brock narrates. "He looked again and saw Ninetales in the well. Figuring Ninetales was plotting something with the other Mightyena, he called..."

"If I get my paws on you, you'll be sorry!" Ash fills in the dialogue.

"The other Mightyena yelled back the same thing." Brock narrates. "Ninetales heard her rival's screams up above and grinned-she had an idea for a prank. She called up to Mightyena... he switches to his "Ninetales" persona. "Now, Mightyena, don't panic-it's just your rival Ninetales down here...you may not know this, but I'm actually a spirit."

"Really?" Ash gasps as Mightyena. "I always saw you as my rival, but how long have you been dead?"

"Not too long, I was surprised too." Brock replies as Ninetales. The two of them play off of each other, making Ayra, Arina, Kissa, and a growing crowd of other apprentices laugh:

"By the way Mightyena, I hope you will forgive me for all those pranks I played on you in life..."

"Well...okay, you are forgiven."

"Oh joy! Oh great and glorious joy!"

"How can you be joyful when you have died?"

"I feel so sorry for all the creatures up here on the Mortal Realm...down here, there are fields filled with Mareeps, Torchics, and any other Pokemon you could want!"

"I thought the Holy Realm was up, not down..."

"Goes to show just how little we mortals know...if only you could join me in the holy fields down here!"

"I wish I could be down there..."

"After all that you've done to me?" You're quite the forgiving one, but Lady Anima won't let just anyone in-are you truly sorry for everything?"

"I'm so very sorry, Ninetales..."

"Then kneel and confess to Lady Anima all the naughty things you've done!"

"Abba ika noona Lady Anima furom zabinu baka baka..." The crowd roared with laughter at Ash's gibberish prayer.

"Can you see the fields and hear the spirits of light singing? All you have to do is climb in that bucket there."

The crowd applauds the interplay before Brock continues. "So Mightyena squeezed into the other bucket, but he was so heavy, he went plunging down into the well, bringing Ninetales up in the process."

"AUGGGGGHHHHH!" Ash screams as Mightyena, making the crowd laugh again.

"As if being stuck in the well wasn't bad enough for Mightyena..." Brock intones. "By this time, one of the townsfolk came to draw water from the well-she saw Mightyena in the bucket and screamed, calling for help all the while. Mightyena tried to run away, but was beaten and battered by the townsfolk." Ash runs out to the eastern point of the compass design, feigning being injured all the while. "As for Ninetales, she was preparing the third Torchic she had caught for her family, and she recounted to them how she had outsmarted her rival yet again, proving that she was the smartest in the world...so ends the tale of 'Ninetales and the Well'."

"Bravo!" Kissa led the applause as Brock acknowledges Ash, who takes a bow.

"That was quite a show, you two..." Arina smiles as Ayra and the other apprentices depart. "Meet me in my chambers now, and we will discuss your letter." Brock nodded, and followed Arina down the north hallway.

"Now..." Arina began as she settled behind her desk facing the boys and Kissa. "Brock, you know well that when it is time for the Beads of the Elements to be found, monsters appear, Pokemon go wild, and the Beads themselves sing for someone to find them..."

"That, and their song cannot be heard by mortal ears, unless you have an item that can hear it." Brock added as he admired the books of lore lining the shelves of Arina's chamber. Ash had pilfered some parchment pieces from Arina's desk and was watching Vardi sketch a portrait of Kissa lying beside Brock's chair.

"The tiara that grants Kissa the ability to speak the language of humans also allows her to hear things mortal ears cannot hear." Arina explained. "That includes even the Beads."

"So THAT's how she could sense them before..." Ash gasped.

"So far, the only reports of monsters I have received are from the north lands, where Voima Hill lies." Arina began. "However, I have heard of Pokemon going wild all across the world, including Hopea and the surrounding areas."

"That's how I met my companion, Ash." Brock explained. Ash waved as Vardi returned to his pack. "Kissa found him battered and beaten from a Scyther's claws, so we nursed him back to health."

"You've always had a heart for caring for the sick and wounded." Arina smiled before turning serious again. "When you sent word of your visit, you said that Kissa had heard the Beads-is this true?"

"She heard them singing last night, and we came hoping you would lead us to where they are hidden." Brock replied.

"Are you sure you wish to undertake the quest?" Arina asked, concerned. "It will be a long journey filled with danger, across high mountains, deep forests, and dark caves..."

"If it means the world can be peaceful again, I will take the chance." Brock replied. "Every minstrel hopes to unleash Rainbow Symphony at some point in their life, and I feel it's my turn."

"I'm coming too!" Ash jumped up from his chair. "I've sworn to serve Brock and tend to his and Kissa's every need, and I will follow them to the ends of the world!"

"Very well...your first stop is the temple at Whitespell, where you will receive the thread to hold the Beads." Arina replied before embracing Brock one last time. "Good luck from all of us, and may Anima light your way..." With that, the group left the chamber and returned to the north end of Harmony Square and the hallway leading outside.

"Bye, Brock! Good luck on your adventure!" Ayra called as the group left the hall grounds. She climbed on a rock and waved goodbye until Brock, Ash, and Kissa were just specks against the horizon...

**To Be Continued...**


	5. The Light of Whitespell

Episode 5: The Light of Whitespell

The group left Amhran Hall early the next morning with hopes of arriving at Whitespell by sunset. Ash led the way onto the plains, with Pikachu following him. Brock and Kissa walked alongside him, so Pikachu wouldn't be lost in the tall grass that waved in the light breeze.

For a while, Pikachu couldn't decide where to keep watch-he would walk on the ground for a moment only to find that he couldn't see anything in the grass. Climbing on his master's shoulder meant that he would feel the brunt of the wind and shiver from being so cold. Riding on Kissa's back meant that he would get hot from the sun, so he would dart back in the grass again in an effort to keep cool, beginning the cycle anew.

"For the Lady's sake, either walk or choose a place to ride!" Pikachu's indecisiveness was grating on Kissa's nerves.

"Ash retrieved a small pouch just small enough for a Pikachu to fit. "Would you rather ride in here? It should keep you safe from the sun and wind."

Just then, Pikachu spotted a small blue flash in the grass. "Pika?" he wondered as he hopped off Kissa's back and raced into the grass.

"What is it?" Kissa asked as she followed Pikachu into the grass.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu smiled as he proudly displayed two vaguely square shaped deep blue chrysalises in his paws.

"Sapphire jewel bugs in the process of metamorphosis-a chrysalis can go for a nice sum depending on what variety of jewel bug." Brock noted.

"The skins from a ruby jewel bug can be ground into a powder to protect against sunburn, and jewel bug skins make a nice substitute for a gem in a pinch." Ash added. "But the rarest of all the colors of jewel bug is the diamond jewel bug-just the skins from one can fetch a price of 50,000 pieces of gold at the cheapest."

"Typically, they're more afraid of you than you are of them, but do not take kindly to someone taking their eggs, larvae, or chrysalises." Brock cautioned as he heard the familiar whining buzz of an approaching swarm of jewel bugs in the distance.

'Piiiiiiiiikaaaaaaaa!" Pikachu screamed as he jumped to avoid the ice pellets the jewel bugs were shooting at him and balance the two chrysalises in his paws at the same time.

"Put those down and run for it!" Kissa called. Pikachu complied and ran back to Ash's side as Kissa scratched one bug, leaving a deep gash in its gemstone-like skin.

Ash drew his blade and slashed several bugs flying at him. Just as he could slash a wave, more would land and begin firing ice pellets at him, making him shiver with the combined cold and pain of hundreds of pellets landing on him at once.

"Chu!" Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt into the grass, but even this wasn't enough to dispel the swarm-more jewelbugs were arriving faster than the group could kill them off!

Inspired, Ash charged a ball of red energy in his hands "Out of the ground, raze all greenery in flame! Fire!" The ball of flames went flying through the grass, scorching many jewel bugs on the way, but not affecting the surrounding grass.

He thought he heard Brock's voice over the buzz of the swarm and the pit-pit-pit of ice pellets on his skin and clothing, but it wasn't until he heard a harp in the distance and saw his blade, Kissa's claws, and Pikachu's tail glowing red.

"Thanks, Master!" Kissa called to Brock over the noise. The squeal of dying jewel bugs and the crackling of flames filled the air as Ash and the Pokemon cut through the swarm, melting much of the frozen grass and setting many jewel bugs on fire.

After a while, the remainder of the swarm retreated into the sky. "Good riddance..." Ash sighed as he sheathed his weapon.

"Next time, I hope we fight something not quite so messy..." Brock sighed as he looked out on the expanse of dead jewel bugs that dotted the grass

"Who said that self defense was a clean job?" Ash countered as the skins of the jewel bugs crunched beneath his feet. "Scorched jewel bugs are useless for anything."

"You're right...let's move along before more jewelbugs come." With that, Brock motioned for the group to follow him, being careful to avoid jewel bug skins where he could.

After the encounter with the sapphire jewelbug swarm, the group found themselves winding down another path in Hara Forest. Ash was particularly tired-for all he knew, they would emerge at the foot of Mt. Arian to the north-and he knew that Mt. Arian was too far north from Whitespell.

He mustered a weak smile when he saw the shining yellow light of the circular beacon at the top of the temple's tower, but his relief became frustration when he heard thunder roll and rain began pelting the ground. "Oh, great..."

"We're getting close..." Brock assured him. "Protect the instruments at all costs!" he cautioned as he ran on ahead. Ash nodded and tossed a blanket over the cases containing Brock's harp and cadena and the drawstring sleeve protecting the Dreamer's Flute as he hurried through the rapidly dampening brush to rejoin Brock and the Pokemon at the gatehouse. Once sure the group was all together again, he knocked at the front door.

"Who's there?" a boy's voice called.

"Friends seek shelter in Anima's grace." Brock replied-the sign that to a cleric meant that the traveling party wished to rest at the temple. As if on command, the gate lowered, allowing the group access to the temple and the surrounding buildings.

"Brock of Hopea...welcome to the sanctuary of Whitespell." the high cleric, a woman with dull green hair, smiled as Brock led Ash and the Pokemon inside the temple's main room. "What leads you to the temple on this dreadful night for traveling?"

"Sadly, it is not to share tales and rumors, Ethani..." Brock replied. "Not this time..."

"I understand-the Beads of the Elements have called you to find them-although that doesn't explain why I keep hearing a lost girl singing "Love, oh love" in the catacombs." Ethani replied as she accepted a drink from an apprentice. "For some reason, the singing has attracted monsters as well-we have managed to drive most of them away."

"Haven't you sent someone into the catacombs to find out the source of the singing?" Ash wondered.

"Well, no volunteer has come foward, and apprentices are not allowed into the catacombs alone." Ethani replied. "But the hour grows late, and you must be tired from your journey, so we will discuss the matter further in the morning." She paused to grab a piece of glowing gold thread from an overhang nearby an altar rail. "This is the thread that binds the Beads of the Elements to you, allowing you to use Rainbow Symphony when all eight are together-guard it with your life."

"I will, with Anima's help." Brock replied as an apprentice in a white robe with gold trim arrived to escort the group to the guest's quarters.

Ash laid awake in his bed, watching the trees sway in the wind. The pounding of the rain on the roof was driving him crazy, and no amount of covering his ears was helping as he watched the rain fall, the temple beacon casting a yellowish glow on the raindrops and puddles in its range.

"You can't sleep either?" Brock asked as he watched Kissa curl up on a rug by his bed to sleep.

"Not at all." Ash sighed, enviously eying Pikachu, who was sleeping inside a small drawer on the nightstand by his bed. "I can sleep through a light rain, but this is too much!"

"If you want, I can try to silence the raindrops with Silent Song..." Brock offered as he climbed out of bed and walked over to the storage chest nearby the closet.

"I believe that's meant to seal magical ability, not silence sound." Ash interjected as Brock sat down on his bed, now carrying his harp. "But, any sort of lullaby would be nice..." Brock nodded and began a slow and quiet melody.

Ash took a moment to admire his friend's harp as the lullaby filled the air. The instrument looked similar to a large bow, with the column, neck, soundboard, and soundbox combining to resemble a sort of bird. He wanted to say it resembled a Swellow, a Pidgeot, or even Lugia, but there were no defining details to signal what sort of bird it was.

"Does your instrument resemble any sort of bird Pokemon?" he finally asked, snapping Brock from his performance.

"Not any specific one-just a general bird." Brock replied. "The craftsman that made the Harp of Divine Elements for me liked to incorporate birds or parts of birds into his work." He gestured to the head of the "bird" that made the top of the column, which had a sapphire for its "eye". "The column is the bird's body, and the neck, soundboard, and soundbox are its wings." Ash took a moment to admire the harp's feather-like inlay work studded with gems and smiled-whoever the craftsman was, he had to have put a lot of work into a beautiful instrument.

"Did you receive this harp when you fledged to a full minstrel?" Ash wondered.

"Yes-all I had to do was tell the craftsman my specifications." Brock replied before preparing to play again. "While I was still an apprentice and learning to play, I used a very simple instrument with minimal decoration." With that, he resumed his song.

"What is a typical day for a minstrel's apprentice like?" Ash was interested now-this was better than any tale for a bedtime story.

"After we rose, washed up, and had breakfast in the meal hall, we went our seperate ways to the different study rooms-what we studied each day and in what order differed." Brock began. "You could have a small group lesson in an instrument one day, followed by a lore lesson, then a lesson in composing..." He then realized that Ash had fallen asleep, so he quickly returned the harp to its case and dozed off.

_The next morning..._

"Yes?" Ash sleepily yawned as Kissa walked into the room, shielding some of the sun from his eyes.

"Sh-the apprentices are having morning prayers." Kissa shushed as she watched Ash get dressed and wash up. "The high cleric has agreed to let us go through the catacombs, so we must meet her outside by the target range to meet the cleric that will guide us."

"Coming!" Ash gathered his gear and motioned for Pikachu to follow him as he followed Kissa down the stairs and around a corner to the temple's main hall, then down a stone pathway to a clearing dotted with simple striped targets. Brock was already present with Ethani on the steps overlooking the target range.

"Your guide is one of the three masters and mistresses that train the apprentices in using a bow." Ethani explained. Ash could see a black haired cleric approaching from the barracks off to the west, carrying quivers filled with arrows of all shapes and sizes, protective gear, and spare bows. Judging from the green, deep blue, and purple trim on her white robe, she was one of the many clerics tending to Whitespell, with the arrow design on one sleeve symbolizing that she was one of the bowmistresses. If some gold trim were added, she would have been a high cleric like Ethani. He watched two more clerics in similar attire arrive and begin preparing the targets for the morning practice.

The black haired cleric, meanwhile, began rigging a few targets to some trees as she softly sang _As I walked through the wood one morning, as the sun shone down through the trees; I asked my cheerbringing companion what beast we would bring to its knees..._

"Interesting song..." Ash noted.

"It's a song popular in the town of Mavi and the surrounding villages of Mt. Arian called 'Diamonds in the Wood'" Ethani explained. "It's about how a great hunter and his jester companion talk about finding treature in a forest, and they find a diamond there-perhaps your minstrel companion knows it?"

"Unfortunately, that's one song I don't know..." Brock confessed as he accepted his harp from Kissa. "However, I DO know a different song from Ash's hometown of Masuliro that is often set to the same tune-'The Prayer for Justice'."

"The one where something terrible happens in a town-exactly what varies from minstrel to minstrel-the people plead with the priest to find out who committed the crime, and after many nights in prayer to Lady Anima, She guides him to the perpetrator?" Ash wondered-he had heard the song before, but under a different tune.

"That's the one." Brock assured him, adding a little flourish to prove his point.

"Forgive my intrusion on your conversation, but I'm surprised you know 'Diamonds in the Wood', Sir Minstrel." a female voice interjected. "Not many minstrels that stop here know that song."

Brock looked up and saw the black haired cleric looking back at him with a shy smile. "Unfortunately, I will have to be added to that number, Lady..."

"Lady Dawn of Hikari's Enclave, Bowmistress of Anima, at your service." the black haired girl replied. "Her Grace Ethani asked me to take you through the catacombs."

"Sir Brock of Hopea, and his companion, Ash of Asimiro Lodge." Ethani added, allowing the boys a chance to offer a handshake to Dawn.

"Pleased to meet both of you." Dawn replied.

Just then, a male cleric bust into the clearing. "Lady Ethani! There's a couerl trying to storm the temple! We've held it back with a Wall spell, but I don't know how long it will hold!"

"I'll go!" Dawn volunteered as she grabbed her bow from the pile of bows and followed the cleric down the path to the temple green, where a large feline creature with snake-like appendages from its head hungrily eyed the crowd of apprentices from behind a glowing blue wall.

"By Anima..." Ash gasped as he and Brock arrived and saw the beast held back by the Wall-Kissa looked tiny compared to the huge cat.

"Lady Dawn, how are we supposed to fight the demon cat?" a male apprentice asked as tears of fear welled up in his eyes. "No weapon would be able to pierce the Wall we made."

"I know a way we can attack it!" Ash announced. Once sure he had the crowd's attention, he continued. "My companion is one of the very few minstrels that can sing magic as easily as a song-so the spell likely would pass through the wall!'

"Sooner or later, the Wall will dispel-so we need to prepare and be ready to fight when it does." Dawn agreed before turning to Brock. "Sir Minstrel, please perform a spell that will buy us time."

"Sure..." With that, Brock climbed on top of a rock facing the temple gate and readied his harp to play. "Spirits of slumber, send this creature to the world of dreams! Dreamer's Dust!"

Ash swallowed hard as he watched the harp's lullaby create sparkling gold dust that fell onto the couerl, making it lie down as it drifted to sleep-was putting it to sleep going to be enough to subdue it?

**To Be Continued...**


	6. The Reluctant Ally

Episode 6: The Reluctant Ally

"Wow..." Ash gasped as he led some apprentices into a large room filled with books and maps. While most of the young clerics sat on the floor, some opted to sit at the table in the center of the room.

"This is the Room of Planning." Dawn explained. "On the occassions we do have to take up a weapon for Her cause, all the weaponmasters and mistresses come here first to plan the offensive."

"So you're not totally opposed to fighting..." Ash mused as a cleric with an image of a sword on the sleeve of his robe walked by.

"No...even Anima knows She must defend Her people and Her light...the problem is when people fight for selfish reasons." Dawn replied. "Even so, we are charged with protecting Whitespell, and we will not let a demon cat destroy it!"

"I don't recall couerls being that strong..." Ash noted. "I can however, help with planning a strategy." He let that hang as Ethani approached a podium overlooking the table to address the crowd, prompting them to stand.

"Brothers and Sisters of Whitespell, a grave situation is upon us-a creature of the dark threatens to harm us, only held back by a magical wall." Ethani began. "We have both an edge and a disadvantage in the fight-while we do not know how to destroy a demon cat, we do have a mage well versed in magical creatures..." Ash waved hello. "and a minstrel who can sing spells as easily as a song." Excited whispers filled the air as Brock gave an acknowledging nod and motioned for Kissa to return to his side. "May the Lady of Light grant them the wisdom and words necessary for us to win this battle." With that, the apprentices sat down as a cleric offered Ash a large book titled "The Fantastic Creatures of Yoso."

Ash thumbed through the book for a moment, savoring the memories he had of looking at the pictures of the Legendary Pokemon, unicorns, griffons, and various were-Pokemon before focusing on the creature he had to find. _Let's see here...dragons, Moltres, Lugia, garudas, chimeras, imps, lamias...here it is!_ After turning the book so those at the table could see the page about the couerl, he addressed the crowd. "The couerl, or the demon cat as it is popularly known, is one of the very few feline creatures to have a breath attack similar to dragons. The major difference between the two is what the breath does."

"We know a dragon's breath is magic..." an apprentice spoke up as she shooed Pikachu away from the Berries at the center of the table.

"Unlike a dragon, a couerl's breath focuses more on unpleasent effects, including instantly killing whatever it touches." Ash continued. "Fortunately, our couerl does not appear to be a Queen-that's the one that can kill instantly with its breath."

"It's not even big enough to be a Queen demon cat..." a boy apprentice noted as he fearfully glanced outside at the dozing couerl behind the Wall spell.

"And thank Lady Anima that it's not a anail!" a girl apprentice agreed. Nervous giggles wafted through the crowd at the horror stories of the dragon-like monster notorious for a breath toxic enough to do everything short of killing a person that the other clerics and minstrels had told them.

"If I may, Ash..." Brock made his way through the crowd and looked out at the dozing couerl, harp in hand. "Seer of the Cosmos, grant me wisdom hidden from the world! Galaxy Eye!" The crowd watched as an image of a galaxy formed in the room from the harp strings, creating an outline of the couerl outside in the swirling stars.

"What do you see, Sir Brock?" Ethani asked as everyone listened to the elegant yet playful melody creating the "galaxy" Brock was studying as he played.

"I can tell that this couerl is a young adult that has just left its mother's den, so the only thing its breath can do at this time is paralyze a target." Brock explained. "Even so, we must be on guard-poisoning the beast won't do a thing, but any sort of fire or water attack should be enough to defeat it." With that, he ended his song, making the "galaxy" and the outline inside disappear in a flash of light.

"I say we dump water all over it!" an apprentice interjected, making excited whispers fill the air.

"But how are we going to get the buckets over the demon cat's head?" another began. "That beast is huge!"

"Why use buckets when I could just as easily play the spell Dark Water?" Brock suggested to a group of clerics. Conversation buzzed through the room as the groups of clerics planned the attack:

"What's that do?"

"Is it like an anail's breath?"

"Not exactly-it's more like a wave of water that causes unplesant effects..."

"I still say we dump water on it!"

"Didn't the minstrel say we could also use fire?"

"Yeah! Can't we ignite our arrows?"

"Or freeze them?"

"There's an idea!"

"But how do we do that?"

"Easy! I'll just cast a spell and have you guys fire through it to enchant the arrows."

"But how do we work the minstrel into this?"

"While Sir Ash and I help the other Bowmasters and the Spearmasters to wear the demon cat down, Sir Brock could climb on the rocky outcropping overlooking the gate and play Dark Water or some other condition inducing song on my signal."

"Lady Dawn, you're a genius!"

"You sure he can climb that high?

"Relax, we learn how to tumble and backflip, so of course I can climb up high cliffs such as that outcropping."

"Let's go show that demon cat that we're stronger!"

"YEEEEEEEAAAAHHHHH!" Ash, Dawn, and Brock led the charge out of the room and down the path to the front gate, where the Wall spell containing the dozing couerl was starting to flicker.

"Okay..." Ash motioned for the crowd to circle around him. "Here's the plan...When the Wall spell wears off and the couerl wakes, it will likely be very angry-that's why we need to strike early and hard before it decides to attack us."

"Bow trainees, be ready to fire as soon as Sir Ash casts his first spell." Dawn reminded her group of apprentices.

"That goes for you too, spear trainees." a Spearmaster agreed.

"What should the signal be for me to get in position on the outcropping?" Brock asked as he tensely watched the wall's flickering grow faster and faster and the stirring couerl.

"The code is 'Dancing Swablu'" Dawn replied.

Ethani carefully stepped through the crowd and faced them, her back against the rapidly flickering wall. "Before you head into battle, let me first protect you in the Lady's unending light..." With that, she formed a shining wave of white light. "Enduring light, shield from roaring magic! Lux!" At this, white auras began forming on every member of the crowd, Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and Kissa included.

"Lux...never heard of that spell..." Ash mused as he watched the white glow surround him.

"It's a spell only high clerics can cast-it combines the protection for physical and magical defense and revival with a little strength if you fall." Dawn explained. "I've only seen Lady Ethani cast it one other time besides now, so she only saves it for emergencies." With that, she readied an arrow just as the Wall disappeared in a flash of blue.

Ash began charging a red ball of energy and aimed it skyward in the path of the many arrows and spears waiting to be fired and thrown. "Out of the ground, raze all greenery in flame!" A roar nearby signaled that the couerl had awakened and was preparing to pounce on the large crowd. "Fire!"

The red energy ball flew into the sky, creating a wave of flame and igniting hundreds of arrows and spears that went flying at the couerl, knocking it backwards. Ash drew his blade and raced through the stream of arrows and spears to join the Blademasters and their groups in slashing at the huge cat, desperately trying to get at its chest as flaming arrows and spears rained on the couerl from above

"Flames of passion, give these blades an anger that burns! Fire Blade!" Brock called before retreating to the path leading to the outcropping, playing a calm melody all the while that made all of the swords glow red with fire energy.

"Thanks!" Ash called before delivering a slash to the couerl's leg. The couerl retaliated by blowing a pale yellow mist at the crowd of clerics and the mage surrounding it. Ash rolled out of the way, but some of the clerics were not so lucky, and were quickly carried away to Ethani's safe room nearby the main temple to have their paralysis removed.

"Is it immune to arrows and spears?" Dawn worried as the couerl hurled some of the arrows and spears embedded in its skin back at the crowd, causing many groups to scatter with the weaponmasters carrying the wounded to safety. Then an idea came to her-what if, for some crazy reason, the couerl itself was somehow protected, and therefore immune to the crowd's attack? Protected by who, she didn't know, and she didn't know any spell that would confirm her theory, but she decided to charge a reddish purple light. "Illusions and lies of darkness, begone! Dispel!"

Ash gasped as he saw a greenish flash around the couerl. "What in the..."

"The reason why the couerl has not been affected by our spells and attacks is because it was somehow protected." Dawn replied as more of the weapons masters raced by carrying wounded or paralyzed apprentices. "How and by who I don't know, but maybe now we have an edge!" She whistled and yelled over the noise "Dancing Swablu!". Brock nodded, wrapped his harp in his cloak, and started climbing up the rocky tower overlooking the gate.

_Hurry, Brock..._ Ash worried as he jumped out of the way of the couerl's claws and slashed at one of its legs, making a deep gash form. Enraged, the couerl spotted Brock emerging at the outcropping and lunged at him, pinning him to the rock under a paw.

"Pika!" Pikachu gasped.

"Oh, Anima, not now!" Kissa cried as she watched her master helplessly struggle beneath the couerl's paw, his harp's neck and column cracked and out of reach.

Ash's heart pounded as he ran towards the outcropping-he had to save Brock, and quickly, from becoming the couerl's next meal. _Please, Lady of Light, spare my friend!_ he frantically prayed as he began climbing up the rocks leading to where Brock was being held.

"Don't!" Dawn called after him, stopping him in his tracks. "If you tried to climb up there, you might get pinned to the rock yourself!"

"I have to save my companion somehow, even if it means giving my own life!" Ash shot back as he prepared to continue climbing. Dawn sighed, knowing the mage would resist any plea to come down, and followed Ash up to the outcropping, just in case he too was pinned to the rocks.

The couerl lifted another paw, and prepared to deliver a lethal blow to Brock's chest when suddenly, a female voice called "Water of mystery, hide us from the darkness' world! Illusion Mist!" Then, the sound of panpipes playing a mysterious breathy song pierced the air, hiding Brock from the couerl's claws in a veil of pale blue mist.

"Who's there?" Dawn called over the song as she reached for her bow and readied one of her few remaining arrows.

"Peace, Lady of the Goddess-I only came to save my friend." a familiar voice replied. It wasn't until he saw some familiar deep red hair and a dull green tunic through the mist that he recognized the voice-Roni!

"What are you doing here?" Brock gasped as he finally wriggled free from the couerl's paw and raced to assess the damage of his instrument.

"I came hoping to learn where the Beads of the Elements were from the high cleric here, and saw you held down by a demon cat, about to become its lunch!" Roni explained. "Likewise, what brought you here?"

"I was helping the clerics drive away this monster when it pinned me down." Brock replied. "Had you not arrived, I very well could have been couerl food!"

"See, Roni and Brock both trained in the same minstrel's hall, and Roni is also one of the few that can sing magic." Ash told Dawn as Brock and Roni continued to talk inside the mist. "They did not get along very well, and still view each other as rivals-while Brock is nice about it when he is around her, Roni relies on her charms and looks to manipulate others to get her way, and will not hesitate to distract potential rivals to get what she wants."

"Say..." Dawn interuppted, getting Brock and Roni's attention. "Since both of you can sing magic, is it possible to combine two instruments or voices performing the same spell to make it stronger?"

"Why do you ask?" Ash was interested.

"Yes, that is possible-but only the one casting the spell names it and starts the song." Brock replied as he drew his blade and laid it on a crude wooden aiming platform, making sure to aim it at the couerl. "Any others can join in at any time-and the more instruments or voices performing, the better."

"You don't have to have the ability to sing magic to join, but the one that starts it has to." Roni cautioned. "And if you're planning to unleash your super secret emergency spell, you have a tiny little problem-how exactly do you play a broken harp?" She gestured to Brock's shattered instrument to prove her point.

"Here..." Dawn charged a blue ball of energy in her hands. "Life's refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!" The blue energy enveloped the broken harp for a few moments, rendering it good as new when the light faded away.

"My deepest thanks, Lady Dawn-this harp is special to me." Brock smiled, running a finger across the newly repaired strings.

"Well, not the oddest way I've seen Cure used, but that's one way to fix a harp." Roni turned her attention to the couerl batting away swordsmen and scores of wounded apprentices being carried away as the last of the mist faded away, "Next question is how to scare off this demon cat once and for all..."

"I'm angry enough to want to use my emergency spell-and this definitely counts as an emergency!" Brock muttered as he approached where his sword was aimed at the couerl's neck. "Plus, I want you to play with me, even though we are sworn rivals." he told Roni. "As thanks for saving me."

"I was only doing what I had to, but I'll play." Roni reluctantly sighed as she retrieved her pipes. "You start it..."

"Lights of the Holy Realm, rend through my enemy like the goddess' sword! Anima no Espada!" Brock commanded, making both his harp and Roni's pipes glow in many colors for a moment. Roni began the mysterious song she had played before again, with Brock providing a droning countermelody as backup.

"Amazing!" Dawn gasped as the light from both instruments began to energize Brock's weapon.

"What's the spell doing?" Ash asked as the sword glowed brighter and brighter with rainbow energy.

"Both instruments are charging your friend's blade with rainbow light, which will destroy the couerl in a beam of many colors." Dawn replied. Ash gasped as a large shining beam went flying at the couerl, its dying screech drowned out by the explosion of light.

"We did it!" an apprentice cheered. The crowd roared as Brock retrieved his weapon and led the others down onto the main path.

"Oh, master, you're all right!" Kissa giggled as Brock ran to hug her, joyful tears in her eyes.

"Pika!" Pikachu threw himself into Ash's arms, elated.

"I owe Roni my thanks..." Brock assured Kissa. "She actually saved my life!"

"We all owe you our deepest gratitude for saving Whitepell." Ethani interjected. "Anima smiles upon our victory today." More cheers came from the crowd in agreement. Roni nodded in approval and walked out into the forest.

"Didn't she say she was going to ask about the Beads here?" Kissa asked as she watched Roni walk off into the sunset.

"Maybe she thought of a better place to ask around, I guess..." Ash mused-maybe there was more to Roni than he thought.

"We'll go on that theory, then." Brock smiled. "In the meantime, let us celebrate our victory and prepare for our expedition into the catacombs." Ash nodded in agreement-maybe his friend would compose a song to mark their victory!

**To Be Continued...**


	7. On This Magic Night

Interlude 1: On This Magic Night

The common room of the apprentice's quarters was abuzz with excitement as Dawn, Ethani, Ash, and many of the apprentices turned out to watch Brock perform. The crowd formed a rough circle around the center of the common room, with Ash seated at a table near the left wall, fingering the Dreamer's Flute as Ethani and Dawn arrived and made themselves at home. Brock's other instruments lay nearby, with the cadena close by Ash's arm and a number of flutes and whistles in a heap in the center of the table. Pikachu romped up to the cadena and gingerly plucked a string, but Ash shooed him away before Brock arrived to tune it.

"Welcome, all." Ethani began. "Our holy sanctuary is safe again, thanks to all your brave efforts." Cheers filled the air. "In commemoration of our victory, Sir Brock of Hopea has agreed to perform for us this evening, including a song of praise to Anima in thanks to Her guidance in the battle this afternoon." Applause went up as Brock entered the "circle", harp in hand.

After a moment to collect his bearings, Brock set down his harp and plucked a single D note on the cadena, humming the note back before singing _A couerl once went on the prowl, some souls of pure heart to slay...she saw a temple in the wood, and thought, "Oh fabulous day! There's men and ladies of light inside, so when I've had my fill, I'll gather their bones in a neat pile, and take their souls to the hill!" Well, the lads and lasses of the light, they heard the couerl call, and pooled their holy powers into a sparkling wall. "You'll not set foot on holy ground and defile this special place!" The cries of warning filled the air as behind the wall she paced..._

Ash smiled as Brock told, in song, the story of the battle that had taken place hours before-the frantic planning session, his leading the charge into battle, the couerl attacking back and paralyzing many, a minstrel about to attack being pinned down on the outcropping overlooking the temple gate, and Roni coming to the rescue, culminating in the casting of Anima no Espada.

"His voice sounds much like his harp..." Dawn smiled, enraptured in Brock's strong and melodic tenor. "If only I could sing with no accompaniment at all..."

"It takes practice, Dawn..." Ethani whispered back before leading the applause at the song's conclusion.

Brock acknowledged his applause, then retreated to the table, where he sat down before the cadena. "And now, here's a tune that I like to call 'Kissa's Reel'" he began as he slipped on two of the protective sleeves and began strumming a brisk melody in D major, prompting some in the crowd to run out to the floor and dance as everyone else clapped along.

Inspired, Ash joined in on the Dreamer's Flute with the tune "The Rainbow Flower", followed by "The Maid of Whitespell". He took a shy bow when Brock acknowledged him at the set's conclusion. _I've only been practicing those for three weeks now..._ he thought as Brock reached for his harp and got up from the table, playing a quiet melody that signaled he was going to spin a tale next.

"Does anyone have a tale they would like to hear?" Brock asked the crowd. "I felt that on this night, this night of celebration, I should tell the stories you would enjoy the most."

"Tell the one about the scholars that caught a thief!" a female apprentice near Dawn's chair begged.

"Very well..." With that, Brock played a quiet flourish on his harp before beginning "A long time ago in a land far away from here, it was the custom for children who wished to study to travel across the land, learning anything and everything they could. Many set out on this journey, studying with mages, clerics, astrologers, poets, and minstrels, to name a few professions, and they all grew to be fine men and women. The only problem was, no one wished to hire them, and so they were very poor."

"Was the king worried?" a young female apprentice asked.

"Oh, he was very worried about the many poor students that wandered the land." Brock replied. "He did not know why anyone would choose to be poor, and was deeply concerned about what all those students would do. So one day, he called his advisors together and made a bold accusation: the many wandering students were actually thieves." Gasps go up from the crowd at this.

"How could he do such a thing?" Ethani asked. "The students only wished for knowledge, not material things!"

"The advisors felt the same way as you, Lady Ethani, and tried time and time again to assure the king that the students only wanted knowledge." Brock continues. "But the king would have none of it, and issued a proclamation throughout the land: anyone who had evidence of thievery was to be arrested."

"But the students are innocent!" a Spearmaster protested.

"How would they catch a potential thief?" a Blademaster wondered.

"The advisors asked the same question, and the king told them of his strategy." Brock replied, playing a tense riff. "He commanded the guards to scatter gems all over the palace grounds, then invite the students to the palace. Anyone who even picked up a gem would be arrested." Murmurs wafted through the crowd at this. "The guards did as they were told and sent word to all the students in the land that the king wished to see them and honor them. But not all the students were enthused by a visit to the palace-some of them were suspicious, as the king had always been wary of young scholars like them. After some discussion, they concluded that there was a plot involved, and that they would find a way to outwit him."

"So what did they do?" a male apprentice asked.

"The students gathered in the palace courtyard early the next morning, where the king welcomed them and invited them to mingle in the royal garden." Brock continues. "They mingled all day, ever aware of the glittering rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, and other gems all around them, but no one stopped to pick them up, for they also saw the guards keeping watch everywhere they looked.

When the sun was setting and the students had left, the king asked how many students had picked up a gem. The guards said that they saw no one pick any gems up, but when the king looked out on the palace grounds, there were no gems to be found." He punctuates this with an upward glissando.

"Wait...if no one picked a gem up, then how could they all be gone?" Dawn asked, confused.

"The king demanded an answer to your question, Lady Dawn, and the guards pleaded many times that they had done as they were told." Brock replies. "The captain of the guard proposed that the king invite the students back to the palace in hopes of finding the thief. So word was sent that the king was holding a great feast in the student's honor, and all the students in the land were to attend. The students came in full force, and ate and drank while mingling with one another. But this time, the king had sent spies into the crowd in hopes of hearing someone boasting of wealth-if they did hear such boasting, they would mark that person with a black star on their hands-the mark of a thief."

"So did he ever catch anyone?" Ash was interested in the story now. Pikachu swallowed hard, worried for the students.

Brock smiled as he played another interlude-it was time for the big twist in his tale. "The evening wore on and it seemed like no one would ever find a thief in the crowd of students. So when a spy overheard a girl talking about how she had picked up gems by coating her sandals in wax, he made the black star mark on her hand as she set down her drink.

"The king offered the students a bed for the night, so they wouldn't have to travel home in the dark. The next morning, as the students departed, the king looked to see which of the many students had the black star on their hand. "But to his surprise, he saw that every student present, man and woman, had the black star! The king was furious, and arrested the spy for lying to him, for it would be impossible to prove who the thief was if they were all marked. The king's proclamation was rescinded soon after, but only the students knew the truth-they had all drawn the mark on themselves to confuse the king, for if everyone was marked there would be no proof that any among them were thieves. They were hailed as heroes for showing the king's folly, and many found work because of their cleverness...and that ends the tale of 'To Catch a Thief'." Everyone applauded.

"I would like to hear a tale about the Lady..." Ethani requested.

Brock thought for a moment, then began. "Once, the Great Goddess Anima decided to visit the Mortal Realm, as She often does when She wishes to test our faith..."

Ash listened, enthralled as Brock wove tales about how Anima rewarded the humble, why it rained when Lotads called, how a Wartortle outsmarted Sorin and his makeshift trap, and a day when the Pokemon danced, adding in a few tunes on the Dreamer's Flute when prompted. The songs and stories continued late into the night, and for just one night, Ash forgot about his impending expedition into the catacombs...

**To Be Continued...**


	8. A Lament and a Dream

Episode 7: A Lament and a Dream

"You're here...good." Dawn smiled as Ash arrived in the temple's main hall the next morning. "The catacombs of Whitespell were initially used to entomb those that had died in service to Anima, but when a statue of Anima was placed down there to discourage grave robbers, many clerics began coming there to have a quiet place for evening prayers or to discuss private matters. But every time there is danger afoot in the world, all kinds of unsightly creatures-many from the underworld-take up residence there."

"So what sorts of monsters can we expect to see?" Brock wondered as he threw on his cloak to shelter him from the brisk wind coming from a hallway.

"And, where is the singing coming from?" Ash agreed-he had a nagging suspicion that the singing was not what the clerics believed it to be.

"Lady Ethani believes it is coming from the room with the goddess' statue, and that something fierce is guarding it, judging from the growling and ghastly yowls we hear every time we hear the singing." Dawn replied. "If you need time to prepare, I'll wait here."

Ash set his bag on the floor and studied its contents. In addition to potions of life and magic, there was a dizzying array of berries to cure all sorts of ailments-Pecha to cure Poison, Aspear to cure freezing, Chesto for sleep, and Cheri for Paralysis, to name a few. What Berries couldn't cure, Dawn could handle with her holy magic, he figured as he set his sword by his side.

"I'm only taking the harp with me." Brock told Dawn as he carefully tuned his instrument. "The cadena, the fiddle, and my flutes are in our room, yes?"

"They are-Kissa said she'd help Pikachu take care of them." Ash replied, slightly surprised that the fiddle was also on the list of instruments that Brock could play. iMaybe he taught himself for Ayra's sake./i he thought as he silently reminded himself to ask Brock to play it for him sometime.

He pictured Brock standing in the town square of...any town, playing a blazing fast reel as a crowd of people danced-some alone, and some with partners. Those that weren't dancing were clapping along or tapping their feet in appriciation.

A clink of a pendant being hung around his neck snapped him from his daydream. "These Dreamlight Pendants are to keep your soul safe, allowing me to revive you should you fall to the creatures in the catacombs." Dawn began.

Ash examined the large round opal hanging around his neck as he followed his friends down a hallway and down a frail looking stairwell that led to a large door with ancient runes on it. _Can this thing really keep me alive?_

The notes of a harp got his attention- Brock was standing before a statue of Anima, playing the song he usually played before he told a story. "Is that song special to you-besides signaling the start of tale weaving?" he asked.

Brock's expression turned somber. "Yes...I play it in memory of my mentor Marista, who perished by Kione's hand hours before she was to depart on her quest for Rainbow Symphony." He brushed away a tear before continuing to play the song. "She would play this on her fiddle to signal that our lessons were beginning, and we needed to settle down."

"But why choose to play it when you tell stories?" Dawn was interested now. "Why not at the beginning of every performance?"

"She specialized in storytelling, and taught me many of the tales I tell." Brock explained before addressing Ash. "Remember our first day together, when I told 'Why Pikachu has Brown Stripes on His Back'? That was one of the very first tales I learned, thanks to her."

"Interesting...she sounds like she was a nice person." Ash mused. "I would have liked to have met her when she was alive."

"Despite her tendency to be scatterbrained at times, she was never without a smile, and seemingly knew the right words to comfort you when things were not going well." Brock continued. "In fact, I remember the time when I was struggling to learn 'The Little Gold Flute'-my most popular story..."

_"Your sister suffers...no...your sister's suffering way out there...um..." a younger Brock, now clad in the dull blue tunic of a minstrel's apprentice, recites as he paces the floor in Harmony Square. He stops for a moment, trying to remember what comes next in the verse, but no words come. "ERRRRGGHHH! Why can't I remember this part?" he rants to no one in particular. "I can tell it just fine up to this part, but I always forget it! I really want to tell it for the hokage of Mizutoshi when the ninjas arrive tonight!"_

_"Is everything okay, Brock?" an older female voice asks, snapping young Brock from his anger._

_Young Brock looks up to see an auburn haired girl in a blue and green striped outfit and black leggings approaching him and smiles. "Marista...just who I needed to see! I really want to perform for the ninjas of Mizutoshi, so I asked Lady Arina for suggestions for what sort of tales they like. She suggested I try and learn 'The Little Reed Pipe', which I have adapted as 'The Little Gold Flute'. However, every time I get to the Murkrow's appearance, I blank out!" He sighs in frustration as he sits on the floor and covers his face with his hands._

_"Calm yourself, Brock...remember what I told you about first approaching a story?" Marista asks as she dries the tears welling up in young Brock's eyes._

_"You should learn it as a whole, not in pieces?" young Brock hesitantly answers._

_"Yes, and what else?" Marista prompts Brock for more information._

_"Don't try to memorize anything except the first and last line?" young Brock asks, a nervous note in his voice._

_Surprisingly, Marista doesn't yell. "Can you show me that you've learned your first and last line?"_

_"Sure!" Young Brock gets up and begins "A long time ago, in a place far away from here, there lived a mother and her daughter."_

_"And your last line?" Marista assks._

_"Yet Aozora kept the little flute with him, just in case he needed its song again." young Brock replies._

_Marista nods in approval. "Very good! As for the rest of the story, you only need to remember the very basic storyline..."_

_Young Brock thinks for a moment. "Maybe I have been going at it the wrong way by memorizing the whole thing...will you come with me to the Room of Lore?"_

_"I'd be glad to..." Marista smiles as young Brock leads the way down the north hallway..._

"So did you ever get to tell that story to the hokage of the water village?" Dawn asks.

"I did, and Marista was there in the audience to encourage me-her being there gave me enough confidence to speak well before the hokage and Arina." Brock concluded. "She was due to leave on her quest a few days after the visit from the water village, but a few nights before she was to leave, Mightyenas possessed by Kione attacked the hall and set it ablaze." He plays the song again, showing Marista leading a group of apprentices from the burning hall.

"And she gave her life so you could live?" Ash asked as he watched the terrifying scene of Marista comforting the scared apprentices and young Brock as the fire raged on.

"Yes-but it was not the flames that took her...a Mightyena attacked and killed her." Brock replies.

Tears welled up in Ash's eyes as an eerily familiar scene played out through Brock's song-a Mightyena pounces on Marista and a great struggle ensues. _This looks just like my encounter with the Scyther!_ He brushes away a tear as he watches young Brock cry over Marista's bloodied and lifeless body. _That could have very well been Pikachu crying over me..._ "Is that why you saved me? So you wouldn't lose another potential friend?"

"Yes, and no...I saved you because I have always believed in helping those that need it. Although I did not show it to you at the time, I was deeply saddened at how similar your encounter was to Marista's death, and how your family would react if you had died." Brock replied as he concluded his song. "At her funeral, I promised myself to do two things-to learn the fiddle and the songs she often played in her memory; and that should the opportunity for me to unleash Rainbow Symphony present itself, I would undertake the quest in Marista's stead as thanks for her being a friend to me."

"A very noble goal indeed." Dawn smiled. "I believe she is buried in the catacombs, so you are welcome to pay your respects if you find her tomb."

"I will-I've wanted to lay her ring on her tomb for some time now." Brock replied as he toyed with a ring with a pear shaped emerald inside. "It was the only thing unharmed on her body, and it was given to me at the funeral. But I could never bring myself to wear it because of the memories it evoked, so I figured that the best thing to do would be to lay it on her tomb."

"So you have a reason for this quest..." Ash mused as Dawn led the way down the west hallway and opened a large door inscribed with runes. "As I have said before, I have long dreamed of going on a quest like the heroes you tell about..."

"You realize that going on a quest like this is not all fun and games like you probably think it is..." Brock cautioned as the group wound down a long stairway. "You will encounter monsters, and traps, and puzzles you have never seen before."

Ash swallowed hard as he continued down the stairs. _Monsters, I can handle, but traps and puzzles? By Anima, what have I gotten myself into?_

**To Be Continued...**


	9. Into the Catacombs

Episode 8: Into the Catacombs

"We're not going to be lost forever in winding passageways, are we?" Ash stammered as he and the others continued down the stairwell.

"Oh no-the catacombs are surprisingly straightfoward if you know what you are looking for." Dawn assured him. "As for the puzzles..."

"There's not going to be any that are impossible, are there?" Ash interuppted. He imagined himself struggling to figure out just the right answer to a question, only to have every possible answer be incorrect.

"Every puzzle has an answer, but not all of them may be the obvious ones." Dawn replied as the group arrived in a small room. After producing a key from her robe and unlocking the door, she continued. "Our path to the statue's chamber may appear to be random, but there is order in the chaos." With that, she led the way into the room held up by simple earthen columns. Ash reached out to touch a vine growing on a wall, but Brock silently urged him not to as they made their way down a hallway and into a room cluttered with broken furniture and a structure in the right corner that resembled a Pokemon pen.

"Wonder what this was once used for?" Ash mused as he studied a ratty tapestry on one wall. "Much less how we're going to advance farther in if the only way out was the way we came?"

"This used to be an underground stable before it became the catacombs." Dawn explained before she heard a crack by the pen. "LOOK OUT!"

"YIPE!" Ash jumped back as the network of twigs he had been standing on clattered into a small bowl-shaped pit.

"First rule of dungeon crawling, Ash-things aren't always what they seem." Brock cautioned as Ash carefully weaved his way around the pit and back to where Dawn was waiting.

"I knew that..." Ash wheezed, his heart still racing from his near fall.

"Then did you know about the secret way out of here hidden from human eyes?" Brock asked.

"There's another way out?" Ash gasped as he looked around the room-barring the door they had entered from, he did not see a door or any form of entryway. "Where?"

"Observe." With that, Brock readied his harp to play. "Spirits of light, show me things hidden to the Mortal Realm! Wandering Eye!"

Even Dawn was surprised by the sudden appearance of a door in the right wall. "Well! I didn't know that door was there!" she smiled as the last note faded away.

"See? The gods have hidden things all across the world, and only the most persistent and keen eyed can find them." Brock assured Ash before following Dawn out of the secret door.

"But I thought there was no way out!" Ash protested. "I thought we'd run into an impossible puzzle, or worse, a monster! I thought..."

"It's all well and good to have thoughts, but it's better to stop thinking and actually do something!" Brock snapped back.

"Both of you, please!" Dawn pleaded as she seperated the boys. "We won't find anything about the catacombs while you bicker like children!"

"Futhermore, take everything you think you know about adventuring and let it go." Brock added, his voice noticably calmer. "Not everything I have told in an adventure tale has to happen to you to count as an adventure-much less happen exactly as it did in a story."

"Okay..." Ash sighed as he trudged behind Brock.

"Brock's right-every adventurer's story is different-the question for you is how you will write yours." Dawn agreed. Ash nodded to show he understood as the group entered another room filled with columns, with a tombstone in between some of them.

"Well, what is your story then?" Ash asked as he watched Brock examine every tombstone in hopes of finding Marista's. "Do you dream of guiding a great hero?"

"Not so much that as finding my mother." Dawn replied. "She disappeared when the merchant's caravan she was traveling with was ambushed by thieves. Since my father could barely make enough building things to support himself and me, I asked if I could study with the clerics at Whitespell...since then, Ethani's been like a second mother to me."

"I see..." Ash replied.

"During my training, I learned I had the gift of seeing visions from Anima, so one night, when I had such a vision, I asked Her if my mom was alive. She told me that she was, and the light of a musical rainbow would guide me to her-so I interpret that to mean that someone searching for Rainbow Symphony will lead me to her." Dawn continued, showing Ash a star cut sapphire pendant. "This is the only possession of hers I have, and I keep it with me to remind myself of my promise to find her."

"Speaking of finding things, I wonder if Brock found Marista's tomb..." Ash wondered.

"I looked-it's not in this hall of rememberance." Brock sighed.

"Then let's move on." Dawn motioned for the boys to follow her down a hallway.

Ash darted inside the next room when some letters and a star etched in the wall by one of the three doors leading outside got his attention. "The Lady's light will show you the way?"

"What does that mean?" Even Brock was confused.

"Wandering Eye won't help you solve the Doors of Promise." Dawn cautioned. "Only one way is the correct way foward, and the other two will bring us back here-play Wandering Eye, and the correct doors will shuffle."

"Then if we take the right door, part of the star will be glowing?" Ash suggested.

"A plausible theory, but let's think deeper." Brock countered.

"But I don't want to think, I want to get through here!" Ash protested.

"Patience, Ash..." Dawn began. "Remember when Brock said that things aren't always what they seem to be, and I told you that not every puzzle has an obvious solution?"

"Your idea is perfectly acceptable and plausible, but there's also the possibility of that message having another meaning." Brock added. "We're not going anywhere until we know the way out-so think of what else that message means."

Ash slumped to the ground and sighed, the message by the door replaying in his mind again and again. _The Lady's Light will show you the way...the Lady's Light will show you the way...oh, Anima, I wish Kissa were here!_

**To Be Continued...**


	10. Visions of a Memory

Episode 9: Visions of a Memory

_The Lady's Light will show you the way..._ Ash had been pondering the riddle before the three doors for some time now. iI still think it means that if we go through the right door, part of the star will light up...but how do we know it's the right door?/i

He sighed as he listened to the thuds of Dawn's shoes meld with the rhythmic jig Brock was playing on his harp to pass the time. _The star has to be part of it somehow..._

Then it dawned on him-what if the riddle had something to do with the doors instead of the star marking?

He got up, walked over to the doors, and bent down to examine the tiny gap between the door and the entrance. "I think I've got it!"

"Got what?" Dawn asked.

"The riddle..." Ash motioned for Dawn to join him by the doors. "The first and third door have no light, so we'd just be looping back forever-the correct way likely has a torch inside, creating the light you see in the crack!"

"Very good, Ash..." Brock smiled as he put his instrument away. "Now you know what I mean when I said that things aren't always what they seem."

"And what I meant when I said that not every puzzle has an obvious answer." Dawn agreed as she led the way through the lit door.

After winding through the maze of doors, the group came upon an ornate fountain depicting a long haired girl in a flower and vine print dress that appeared to pour out water. A small sliver of sunlight from above made the sun shaped jewel in a circlet adorning the girl's head sparkle, projecting several tiny suns on the catacomb's earthen walls.

"Our Lady Anima..." Brock gasped as he knelt before the fountain in awe.

"There are fountains and statues of Anima here to reward those that survive the catacomb's many traps." Dawn explained as she drew some water from the fountain. "The water is free for all to drink." With that, she offered the bottle to Ash, who happily gulped the contents down.

"So how exactly can you see visions of Anima?" Ash asked as he wiped his mouth. "Do you have to ask Anima to appear or does it happen with no warning?"

"It depends-sometimes, She appears when I have not called to Her, and sometimes, I have to ask." Dawn replied. "Was there something you wanted to ask Her?"

"Not at the moment, I was just curious!" Ash assured Dawn, but gasped when he felt a soft breeze rippling his cloak, never mind that he was inside a building. "What's happening?" he gasped, but found himself kneeling in awe as the breeze began to take the shape of the girl in the fountain!

"My lady..." Dawn gasped at the long brown haired girl before her. "Why do you appear to us now, when we are already searching for that which defiles the catacombs?"

"I came to tell you about something deeply toubling in Sindura, to the south." Anima replied, her voice calm and melodic. "One of Kione's minions is there, claiming to be one of my children...he has swayed many to his side by a lie." Another wind gust gently rippled Anima's pale blue dress for a moment. "When you have reclaimed the catacombs from the darkness, I want you to travel there and guide the people of Sindura back to the light-Kione must not gain a foothold in this realm! If that happens, my children, you may not have a chance at unleashing the song of many colors."

"Where you lead, my Lady, so shall we follow." Ash replied, his voice trembling a little.

"But how do we show the people that this prophet is a lie?" Brock wondered. "I do not possess a cleric's skill..."

"Ah, but you do have a wandering eye, Sir Brock...use that to drive out the darkness." With that, Anima faded away in a rush of wind. A wry smile appeared around Brock's face as he took his harp and began playing a brief hymn of thanks for the vision.

"I think he knows what Anima meant by Her last words to us before Her return to the heavens." Dawn smiled.

"Is Marista's tomb protected by-"Ash started as a growl got his attention in the next room. He whirled around and saw a giant purple mouse creature staring back at him, blocking passage into another hall of rememberance. "I guess that answers my question..."

"Giant Rattatas are child's play-you can engange in close quarters, but its better to use a ranged attack, just in case the giant Rattata is protected from melee combat." Dawn replied before firing an arrow in the Rattata's stomach.

"Do you need me to help at all?" Brock asked.

"Not at the moment, but thanks!" Ash replied as he formed a ball of blue energy in his hands. "Drifting breeze, come down with fury! Blizzard!"

"That's a clever idea to get rid of giant Ratattas..." Dawn mused as the giant Ratatta quickly succumbed to the swirling ice and snow surrounding it.

"Before we got a new wing for apprentices to study at the lodge, my mentor told me that was the fastest way to take down giant Ratattas." Ash explained. "They would roam the halls at least once a week, and we were all called in to drive it off.

"Judging from what you have told me about Milina, she sounds like a nice person." Brock smiled before dashing over to one particular tomb in the hall that read "LAIRE" After wiping away some dust obscuring the first name on the tombstone, he smiled-this was Marista's tomb.

Ash walked over to the tomb in the corner, where Brock was silently whispering a prayer of rememberance about his mentor, and knelt down before the tomb in respect. Although he had never known Marista Laire in life, he felt compelled to support the one she had mentored in his quest for the ultimate Song Magic-a quest she never got the chance to go on.

Some tense minutes passed before Brock spoke again. "Ash, the ring..."

"Here..." Ash handed the ring to Brock and watched as Brock gently laid it among the flowers that had apparently just been laid on the tomb.

"You will live on in my heart, Marista, and I will keep my promise to unleash Rainbow Symphony for your sake." Brock mused before finally getting up. "My task here is completed, and I am ready to move on."

"Let's go..." With that, Dawn lead the way out of the hall and down another curving hallway.

"Do the catacombs have any treasure?" Ash wondered as he studied the many torches lining the hallway.

"We keep a few items here, but only one can be used by other travelers-the Codex of Runes." Dawn explained. "If anyone skilled in magic reads it, they will learn a new spell or two."

"Even Song Magic?" Brock was piqued. "I remember Marista saying she learned a spell from reading the Codex once..."

"Even those that sing magic can learn a new spell song-Dawn started before a low moan got her attention. "Oh no...not zombies..."

Ash looked around him and saw what looked like sickly gray-green humanoid creatures that were not quite living, and not quite dead lumbering them from both directions. "What do we do now?" he asked, trying his hardest not to scream at the approaching zombies. If he did, that would spur them to attack. _Zombies are more likely to attack when they know the living are afraid._ he reminded himself.

"If we don't do something, we'll be trapped!" Brock shuddered in agreement-zombies were coming from both directions of the hall, leaving the group with nowhere to run...

**To Be Continued...**


	11. The Clever Codex

Episode 10: The Clever Codex

Ash swallowed hard as he watched the zombies approach from both ends of the hallway. "I have a bad feeling about this..."

"You're the one that wanted to come along on the quest..." Brock sighed. "I do have an idea as to how we can get rid of these zombies..."

"How?" Dawn was piqued. "There's no way we'd be able to plow through them all in one direction, much less two!"

"We know they fear holy magic, but on the islands to the south, the peoples there believe fire also deters creatures of the night." Brock explained. "So they light huge fires at night that they don't put out until morning."

"SAY..." Ash interjected. He faced the oncoming horde of zombies in the left hallway and charged a ball of red energy in his hands. "Out of the ground, raze all greenery in flame!"

"Bright light, shine down on bloody impurity!" Dawn called as she aimed a ball of blue white energy at the horde in the right hallway.

"Fire!"

"Holy!"

The zombies gasped as the horde on the left were engulfed in flames, and the shrieks of those consumed in light filled the right hallway. When both spells disappated, there was not a zombie to be found.

Brock smiled. "If Kissa were with us, she would say well done for coming up with a clever solution."

"At any rate, the left hall is a dead end, and the right hallway is where we need to travel next-into the Faithful Maze, which comes out very close to where we've heard the growling and singing. "Dawn explained as the group started down the right hallway.

"Why is it called that?" Ash wondered as the group entered a large room with a pedestal lying in a corner.

"It is so named because you only see the correct route for a few seconds when you break the lock on the door leading in." Dawn replied, gesturing to a large door with four indentations in its center.

Ash, meanwhile, was piqued in the ornate looking book lying on the pedestal. After thumbing through the pages for a moment, a smile began forming on his face as he fished out the Dreamer's Flute. "Spheres of power, take form in many colors! Mysterious Orb!" With that, he began playing the tune "The Dark Haired Lady", making some red, purple and light blue orbs of various sizes appear and fly about the room, burning, shocking or freezing anything they impacted.

"What was THAT?" Brock gasped as he got up and studied the many frozen or charred points of impact peppering the walls.

"And where did you-" Dawn noticed before spotting the book, which was miraculously unscathed. "Oh, you found the Codex!" She darted over to the pedestal and began eagerly reading a few pages before allowing Brock a chance to read.

Brock, on the other hand, took his time reading the pages and the many incantations and descriptions written on them. _I can't believe it...I can't believe I'm reading from the famed Codex._ He brushed away a tear forming in one eye as he continued reading. _Marista...you read from it too. Why did you have to die before you could use what you learned from this special tome?_ He stepped away from the Codex as another tear landed on the magical pages, revealing a sequence of colors for a moment before drying up.

"Is everything okay?" Dawn asked as Brock took a few deep breaths to calm himself and dry what tears had formed in his eyes.

"Yeah...Marista died not long after reading the Codex in preparation for her quest." Brock replied. "It was strange, reading the same passages she did..."

"Then maybe the same passages hold some new spells for you." Dawn replied. "Every time the Codex is read, what spells the reader learns are different, even if two mages read the exact same page.

"What I really want to learn-" Brock started before choking up again. "is the same-powers-she did..." This was as far as he got before breaking down in tears.

Dawn ran over to Brock's side, put a hand around his shoulder, and began whispering words that Ash didn't recognize, calming Brock down a little. Once sure that he was calm again, she asked. "Are you okay now?"

"I think so..." Brock replied as he sniffled a little.

"It's okay to cry over one you have lost-Anima understands your grief." Dawn replied.

"I know, but Marista would've wanted me to be strong in bad times." Brock explained. "So I tried not to show it very often in public.

"If you ask me, bottling up your sadness and anger only makes it worse!" Ash began as he began experimenting with putting some balls in the door's indentations. "While I can't speak from experience, Dawn's right. It always hurts to lose someone you love, and it's okay to cry about it." He grimaced when he saw four red lines above the indentations, so he removed the balls and tried four different colors. "You could write a letter thanking her for the positive influence on your life..."

"Or compose a song in her memory?" Dawn suggested.

A smile crept back on Brock's face. "I like those ideas, but for now, it appears you need a little help...the door's lock is just a simple game of Mystic Eyes-the red lines above the balls mean that color ball is incorrect. Blue means that color is correct, but in the wrong place, and green means it is correct and in the right place."

"Oh, now I know what to do!" Ash laughed as he began rearranging the balls-his last attempt of red-blue-yellow-green had revealed that the blue and yellow balls were correct, but in the wrong place.

"Marista would always play Mystic Eyes with me in hopes I would learn to think critically." Brock began as he watched Ash slowly work out the lock's code. "I think the best way to honor her memory is to guide and mentor Ash, just as she did me."

"And there we go!" Ash announced as his code of blue-orange-purple-yellow made the door creak open to reveal a dizzying array of twisting passageways, some of which looped around each other and even went upside down!

"By Anima...Marista never said anything about this!" Brock gasped.

**To Be Continued...**


	12. Lost in a Maze

Interlude: Lost in a Maze

Ash swallowed hard at the twisting and turning corridors before him-the Faithful Maze certainly lived up to its name. "It certainly would take an act of faith to get through here." he mused as he tensely took a step inside the room that appeared to go on forever.

"What do you see?" Brock asked as he too stepped inside the entrance corridor. Dawn followed after him before the door closed behind them.

"I've seen the brief flash of the correct path, but all I managed to remember is we take a left at the first fork." Ash replied before motioning for his friends to follow him down the path.

Dawn sighed when she saw that there were three routes to take after following Ash's direction. "Now where do we go from here?"

"Would Wandering Eye be any help?" Brock wondered as he pondered digging out his harp.

"No-that would only scramble up the maze-the idea is making it out with no outside help to guide you; in essence, by faith." Dawn replied.

"But a few seconds isn't going to be enough to map this place out!" Ash complained. "Unless you have the memory of all the gods and their guardians combined..."

"Well, there is such a Pokemon like that...Alakazam." Brock started.

"But where would we find them?" Ash demanded.

Brock sighed in defeat. "They are only in the possession of archmages, and I'm not sure one would be brave enough to come down here to us."

Ash sighed. _Milina, I wish you were here..._

"Since we have three choices, and only one is the right way, let's find the correct route the way a scholar would do it-deduction." Dawn suggested. "We'll each take a route through the maze, and see where each leads."

"Mm-hm." Ash nodded.

"Our destination is the Hall of Reflection-the room before the statue of Anima." Dawn continued. "You do know a teleportation song?"

"I do-the Song Magic ability Time Hole." Brock replied. "All I would have to is specify where I wanted to go in the incantation and who to take with me before playing the song. However, it takes more strength the more people you bring with you."

"This doesn't include you?" Ash asked. Brock nodded. "So what is the incantation to Time Hole?"

"Beacon of Anima, guide me to...wherever you need to go." Brock replied. "'Or, Beacon of Anima, guide us' if you have more than one person with you."

Dawn charged a ball of blue-white energy in her hands. "To make our exploring a little less tedious, I'm going to use one of the powers I learned from the Codex." With that, she called "Time's current, place us in your whirlpool...Haste!"

Suddenly, Ash felt a blue aura surround him, followed by a sudden burst of speed! _This power...I feel like everything's going very fast!_ He watched as his friends raced past him in a magical blur. _But if Dawn sped us up, this will definitely make finding the correct route a little less tedious!_

With that, he dashed off down the right route, the twisting and turning passages a mere blur around him. He could feel himself traveling in all directions, even going upside down, but at the same time, he was going too fast to see anything!

He thought he could see his friends racing around him in the same network of twists, turns, loops, and dips, but they were mere blurs to his line of sight! _Wherever we end up, I can at least say I harnessed a dragon's speed-if only for a few moments._

Before long, he emerged in a small room just as the Haste magic wore off, breathing heavily all the while. "What a ride!" he wheezed, still giddy from his supersonic exploration.

"I'll say..." Brock heaved.

"It turns out...that all three routes...ended up...in the same place..." Dawn gasped before collapsing on the floor. "But...let us rest before we enter...the hall..."

Brock winced as he heard a vaguely feline yowl pierce the air behind the door. "Good idea-whatever's in the next room doesn't sound friendly at all!"

**To Be Continued...**


	13. The Firebird and the Diamond

Episode 11: The Firebird and the Diamond

"Okay..." Ash mused as he opened the door into the next room. "Let's see what's guarding the voice singing in here..."

Just as the group entered the room, Dawn gasped as she heard a female voice sing iLove, oh love.../i in the distance, prompting a sickly gray feline like creature to yowl as if in pain. "What IS that?" she gasped as she readied an arrow, shaking all the while.

"Judging from the appearance, it appears to be a Delcatty corrupted by the Dark Realm...a Werecatty, as it were." Ash replied as he studied the gray cat with large white tufts of fur that paced the floor, its eyes casting an eerie red glow on the dim room. He drew his blade. "That said, it does not belong here!" With that, he ran at the Werecatty in an attempt to slash at it, but the Werecatty countered by lunging at him, sending him flying to the ground. His sword landed nearby with a clang some seconds later.

"Oh, Ash!" Dawn cried as she helped him up. "Are you okay?"

Ash moaned in pain from the gash on his right arm, but soon felt a warm feeling around him as Brock sang _Fire, gleam and glow...let your power shine...Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine..._

"How...how did you do that?" he gasped as he studied his newly healed arm.

"It was an old prayer Marista used to heal things-it was the last thing she taught me before she died." Brock explained as he blocked the Werecatty's claws with his own blade. "Also, were-creatures have an aversion to silver, in addition to fire and light magic."

"So, what's your idea for a strategy?" Dawn asked as she gingerly readied an arrow.

"I'm no tactician, but I do have an idea..." Brock began. "My blade has silver in it-this makes it easier to channel magic through it. So allow me to deal with the Werecatty directly, while you and Ash support me from behind."

"Well..." Dawn was unsure-she had never seen Brock actually fight with a weapon.

"What should I do?" Ash asked as he retrieved his weapon, ever aware of the Werecatty circling them.

"Provide magical support to allow me a chance to get close." Brock replied as he approached the Werecatty, making it snarl a warning to the minstrel that dared to challenge it.

"Precious light, be our armor to protect us! Protect!" Dawn called as Brock rolled out of the way of the Werecatty's claws, then charged at the cursed feline, confident that the orange glow surrounding him was enough to protect him.

Ash gasped when he saw the Werecatty preparing to breathe a pulsing ball of purple energy at Brock-the spell of protection Dawn had cast wouldn't hold up against a magical attack! He sheathed his weapon and fumbled for the sleeve containing the Dreamer's Flute. "Light of heaven, guard us from the unending darkness! Holy Mirror!" As he started to play the tune "New Day Dawning", the Werecatty's spell was deflected back into its chest, making the Werecatty howl in pain from its own spell.

"Another power from the Codex?" Dawn asked as she fired another arrow into one of the Werecatty's legs to paralyze it even further.

"Probably." Ash replied.

"I must thank you for the help!" Brock called back as he jumped out of the way of the Werecatty, then performed a rolling jump onto its back, delivering a deep wound as he leapfrogged over his opponent. The Werecatty whirled around, but received another blow to its chest.

"Out of the ground, raze all greenery in flame! Fire!" Ash commanded, sending a fireball into another leg wound Brock had left.

"Bright light, shine down on bloody impurity! Holy!" Dawn was next, her spell enveloping the Werecatty in a bright light, sending it falling to the floor, paralyzed. "We have it weakened!" she yelled over the Werecatty's scream. "Now's your chance!"

Finally, the Werecatty resisted the paralysis from the Holy spell enough to try and mortally wound the human fighting it, but Brock struck first, delivering the final blow to its chest.

Ash hurried to Brock's side, where Brock was heaving in exhaustion. "Well done-you're not too bad a fighter!" he noted as Dawn arrived to begin healing the various scratches that decorated Brock's arms and exposed legs.

"I adapted...what I learned...in acrobatics...for battle." Brock wheezed before weakly standing up. "Agilty decides...the advantage..."

"You proved yourself handily of being a fighter." Dawn assured him before making sure that the healing magic was taking effect. "Now, let's go see what was singing in the statue room."

The next room was very plain-an ornate circle design adorned the floor, with a statue of Anima facing the entryway. Ash noticed something shining in the statue's arms, and ran to take a look at the tiny white stone the statue was holding. iIs this...?/i

_Love, oh love..._ sang the stone as it hovered into Ash's hands. He gasped-this was one of the Beads of the Elements!

"Guys! The singing was no lost girl, but a Bead of the Elements!" he called, hurrying back to allow his companions to take a look at the shining stone.

"What?" Dawn gasped. "Really?"

A joyful smile crept across Brock's face as he watched the Bead pulse in Ash's hands. "Who would've thought that a Bead of the Elements would be here?" he chuckled as the Bead sang _Love, oh love..._ again.

"The gods' ways are filled with mysteries that we can't even fathom..." Dawn replied. "Either way, let us report back to Ethani."

"I am SO ready to get out of here and see Pikachu!" Ash agreed as he pocketed the bead.

Brock retrieved his harp, tuned it, and prepared to play. "Beacon of Anima, guide us to Whitespell Sanctuary! Time Hole!" With that, the three of them disappeared in a wave of green-blue light and a harp's melody.

"You've returned?" Ethani gasped as the group materialized in the temple Sanctuary some seconds later. "So what was it that was singing?"

"The singing was no lost girl..." Dawn replied as she offered the bead for Ethani to examine. "It was one of the eight Beads, crying out to be rescued from a Werecatty."

"And rescue it we did! Brock proved to have as much skill in fighting as he does in music and magic!" Ash interjected as he embraced Pikachu.

"I always knew you were a master of the blade..." Kissa purred as she arrived in the room and nuzzled Brock.

Tears welled up in Ethani's eyes. "Words cannot express how much I thank you for cleansing the catacombs, nor can I express the surprise at the notion that the gods would hide a Bead in this very temple."

"Although it is fitting that Anima hide her Diamond in one of Her sanctuaries." Dawn smiled as the Bead materialized on the necklace thread and she accepted her belongings from a Bowmaster.

"I'm sure that by finding her Bead, Anima has reaffirmed to you why you travel together." Ethani continued. "You to avenge Marista Laire..." she explained to Brock. "You to find your mother and bring her home..." she explained to Dawn. "And you to learn what being a hero really means." she explained to Ash. "In return, you have taken the first step on a journey that will transform you forever in faith that the gods will be there to guide you every step of the way."

"Whatever happens, we'll stick together!" Ash replied. Brock and Dawn nodded in agreement.

"Then go, Heroes of the Holy Colors...encounter the other gods and win back their beads from the darkness-all of Yoso awaits the performance of the great Rainbow Symphony." Ethani mused before giving Dawn one last hug.

"Bye, Ethani!" Ash waved goodbye to Ethani and the crowd of apprentices as the three of them walked into the sunset.

"We did it!" Ash smiled as the group departed the temple. "Our first Bead of the Elements!"

"I'm sure you had quite an adventure in the catacombs..." Kissa smiled.

"Oh, we did-and I learned why your master is on this quest." Ash replied. He was about to say more when he saw a white ball light and a red ball of light fly down before him. "Huh?"

"Anima?" Dawn gasped as the white light formed into a smaller version of Anima.

"Well done on finding my bead." Anima began. "Before I meet you in Sindura, I thought I would tell you about the Firebird's Prayer, with some help from Deami, my fellow goddess that rules over flames." At this, the red light formed into a smaller version of a girl with orange-yellow flame-like hair clad in a long red coat that concealed a burnt yellow tunic and dull brown pants to match.

"Your minstrel friend likely knows the tale of which I speak." Deami smiled, her warm and gentle voice reverberating through Ash's head. "Long ago, I created the firebird Moltres so that the Mortal Realm would have fire to keep warm. Kione grew jealous of my beautiful firebird, and cursed it so that it would die in a hundred years." Tears welled up in Deami's eyes for a moment when she mentioned the painful memory.

"Naturally, Deami was devastated that one of her favorite creations had been cursed, so to ease her tears, I weakened the curse so that instead of dying forever in a hundred years, a new firebird would arise when the old one died, and retain all the memories of the old one." Anima continued. "The beings of the Mortal Realm began to see Moltres as the sign of rebirth, so Deami taught Moltres healing magic, only to be used when the mortals called on her with a sincere request."

"Your mentor Marista Laire rescued Moltres from a hunter's trap once, and in return, I asked Moltres to teach her the prayer to call on her power, which she then taught you." Deami concluded. "I hope you will remember Marista each time you perform it."

"I will, Lady Deami." Brock replied as the red light faded away.

"Anima..." Ash asked. "How will we know you when we get to Sindura?"

"You will know me by what I wear-until then, farewell." Anima replied before the white light also faded away.

"Sindura?" Kissa asked. "What business do we have there?"

"The people there are being deceived-and we have to stop it!" Ash explained before running down the forest path.

"Wait for us!" Brock and Dawn were not far behind.

**To Be Continued...**


	14. A False Light

Episode 12: A False Light

"So, how did Anima say she would appear to us, again?" Kissa wondered as the group walked along the road to Sindura. It had been several days since her master had found the first Bead of the Elements in the catacombs of Whitespell, and she had learned much about the adventure and their new companion on the way.

"She said we would know Her by Her clothing." Dawn assured Kissa as they strolled into town. Normally, Sindura would be bustling with activity on market day, but the stalls in the marketplace were still empty and there was not a ship to be seen in the harbor.

"Why is it so quiet?" Brock asked, a note of worry in his voice.

Ash was about to answer when he heard a woman's fearful pleas and a man's shouting in the distance. "There's trouble!" He motioned for the others to follow him before taking off down a street.

"Wait for us!" Kissa called as the others hurried to keep up with Ash.

After winding down the streets and past more empty market stalls, the group came to the town square, where a crowd was gathered watching a young woman try to escape from a tall and lanky man. Ash was already present in the crowd, watching the tense scene unfold.

"What's going on?" Brock asked. Ash motioned for his friend to be quiet as the man approached the frightened woman, who was fearfully clutching a box full of small Pokemon sculptures.

"I will not mark up my work without a very good reason!" the woman snapped. "I want everyone in Yoso to enjoy my fine sculptures, and with your tax, no one will be able to afford them!"

"Ah, but you seem to have forgotten that we need to stockpile food for the winter, and the tax is to meet that end...besides, Anima has told me that this year's winter will be harsh, and Her word is law." the man replied.

"How can Anima speak to you? You are not part of a true cleric's order!" another woman in the crowd protested. "The Shironise Order is a fraud, for all I care!"

"Everything is NOT fated to be and unchangeable!" another man agreed. "We have the gift of choosing how we price our goods, what trades we choose to train under, and how we live our lives!"

"Have you all forgotten what we have taught you?" the lanky man yelled. "We know all your fates because Anima revealed them to us...and once you know your fate, it cannot be changed." Roars of protest came from the crowd.

The young woman gritted her teeth in rage. "You dare claim to know these people's fates? I'll show you your fate!" She began charging a crackling purple ball of lightning in her hands. "Heavenly bolts, bring divine justice! Thundara!" The man screamed in pain as giant thunderbolts rained down on him, prompting many in the crowd to shield their eyes. When the spell faded, there was nothing left of the woman's pursuer.

"Whoa..." Ash gasped as the crowd cheered.

"I would expect nothing less from the true Anima." Dawn smiled as the crowd began to disperse.

Brock hurried over to the woman's side and helped her up. "Are you okay?" He was about to say more when he saw the woman's hair lengthen and ivy begin to appear on her pale blue blouse and cream skirt. "Anima..."

"It is I..." Anima smiled as she brushed herself off. "As you saw in my assailant, many in Sindura are beginning to believe a lie-the Shironise Order claims that I have revealed the world's fates to them, and that they cannot be changed."

"That's not true! You gave us the gift of choice-and every choice we make influences our lives, for better or worse." Dawn replied. Anima smiled and nodded in approval.

"Whose idea was it to turn Sindura into a town of fatalistic zombies?" Ash growled, appalled at what the man chasing Anima had said before his smiting.

"Come..." Anima replied as she traced her finger into an empty house's wall, creating a door. "I will tell you more here." Kissa led the group inside the house, but once Anima had entered, the door disappeared, making the house appear completely normal to passersby.

"Sindura has always been a prosperous town..." Brock mused as he made himself comfortable at a small wooden table in the center of the room. "With it being a port town, many traders and merchants all across Yoso come to buy and sell their wares."

"But is not immune to hard times." Anima cautioned as the others made themselves comfortable at the table. "Three months ago, the storm season began, and many traders either perished in the storms or were lost at sea. The townsfolk grew worried and fearful as their food supplies dwindled. Kione took advantage of the people's despair and sent the demon Melis in disguise as a cleric of mine."

Just then, everyone heard a young male voice resonate through their heads. "People of Sindura, hear now the words of the Lady Kadara..."

Anima's concerned look slowly grew to one of anger as a female voice began. "Oh, children of Anima, do not worry over what tomorrow brings, for it is all left to fate, and the fates of all the world intertwine in a predetermined path that goes on until the end of time. Be proud to serve the Shironise Order, for it is your fate..."

"No..." Ash challenged the telepathic voice as it continued to speak. "No, no, NO, NO, NO!"

"You have it all wrong!" Brock agreed.

"The Shironise Order is false!" Dawn countered.

"The real Anima wouldn't be so indifferent and oppress Her people!" Kissa agreed.

"Simply yelling and screaming at the lies won't do a thing." Anima began when the telepathic message finally faded away. "We have to expose Kadara for who she really is-Melis, the Princess of Lies. Normal beings cannot discern a being's true form, but since you have a singer of magic with a Wandering Eye, we have the advantage." She got up and began tracing a door on the wall again. "Kadara will arrive in the square this evening to speak again to the people and work 'miracles'-but it is merely magic twisted to her ends. The more people that follow her, the stronger Kione's foothold in this world will be."

"Just say the word, and I will play the song that will show them the truth!" Brock smiled as he followed Anima into the street, being careful to shield his eyes from the flash of light that formed as Anima shifted into her human form from earlier.

"Goodness!" Dawn gasped at the size of the crowd surrounding a platform where a girl with pale skin and maroon hair looked out over the crowd.

"Who's the girl?" Ash wondered as he carefully guided the group through the crowd, being careful not to push nor shove in an attempt to get closer to the simple platform serving as a stage.

"That is Kadara, the form Melis has chosen to take." Anima mused as she watched the girl's black and white robe flutter in the wind.

"Good evening, my people...take comfort in knowing the future is already determined!" Kadara began, to the roars of the crowd. "All of Yozo's history, from the time of creation to its end, is predetermined!"

"So it was mere chance this world came into being?" Kissa gasped, shocked. "I think not!"

"Lies..." Dawn hissed. "The future is not predetermined, and neither is the past!"

"You shape it according to Your perfect will." Brock smiled. "If it's all predetermined, then what is the point of faith?"

"Exactly...I don't reveal the paths of history to everyone because I want My people to trust Me." Anima replied. "If everything is predetermined, there is no reason to have faith in any god..."

"I've had enough of this fatalistic mumbo jumbo!" Ash began to charge a blue ball of energy in his hands. "Drifting breeze, come down with fury! Blizzard!"

"...For example, I know that I will be frozen with ice magic, and bring a Pokemon back to life today." Kadara continued. The crowd gasped as Ash's spell impacted a few seconds later, enclosing Kadara in ice.

"Take that!" Ash laughed, a confident smirk on his face.

"Uh, Ash?" Kissa stammered as the ice cube enclosing Kadara began melting away, to the crowd's cheers.

Ash watched, shocked, as a girl ran to the platform and offered Kadara a lifeless Taillow. Kadara smiled and formed a blue white light in her hands. "Spirits of light, give a new dream to the soul! Arise!" More cheers went up as the Taillow woke up with a peep and flitted back to its master's shoulder.

"I've heard enough..." Kissa grumbled as the group turned to leave. "The world You and the other gods lovingly made, Anima, laughingly explained away by fate..."

"It breaks my heart that Sindura is falling for these lies-and all the more reason we must open their eyes to the truth." Anima sighed as the group walked down to a temple not far from the square. "Take your instrument, Brock-Kadara and her guards will be arriving here soon, intent on destroying you all. Be ready to perform Wandering Eye at my signal."

"Yes, my lady!" Brock fumbled for his harp and frantically began tuning it.

"Ash, Dawn, ready your weapons for battle." Anima added as she threw on a deep red cloak to hide her identity. Dawn obediently nocked an arrow and Ash drew his blade as Kadara and her guards burst into the temple.

"So you are the one that cast the ice spell..." Kadara smirked. "Why do you not accept that our battle here is fate, and that Anima will triumph over your dark arts?"

"Dark arts?" Ash shot back. "You call explaining away our world as mere chance and calling power given to me by Anima dark arts?"

"I alone hold Anima's power as Her avatar! Do you dare take on a goddess?" Kadara screeched.

"Seems you forgot a tiny detail..." Dawn retorted. "Behold, the true Anima!" At this, Anima threw off the cloak, revealing her true identity. Kadara teleported away, but the guards were too frightened to move.

"Now!" Anima called to Brock as the guards began charging energy in their staves.

"Spirits of light, show me things hidden to the Mortal Realm! Wandering Eye!" As Brock began to play, Ash gasped at what the guards actually were-goblins!

**To Be Continued...**


	15. Return of the Goddess

Episode 13: Return of the Goddess

"Goblins..." Dawn gasped when she saw the guards' true form.

"A common demonic humanoid monster often seen protecting other monsters-including demons." Ash explained as one goblin ran at him with a knife, only to be blocked by Ash's blade.

"You all have bigger Magikarp to fry-your familiar and I will dispatch these two!" Kissa called as she leapt before the goblin that had tried to attack Ash and slashed it in the stomach with her claws. Pikachu followed up with a Thunderbolt on the other goblin, knocking both backwards.

"But..." Ash protested.

"Trust me, Kissa can handle herself just fine in battle." Brock assured Ash. "Right now we should focus on finding Melis and freeing Sindura from her hand."

"Enduring light, shield from roaring magic! Lux!" Anima commanded, making white auras form around Pikachu and Kissa as the group raced rom the room and into a stairwell.

_Please...help me..._ a young female voice pleaded as the group hurried up the stairwell.

"Did you hear something?" Dawn asked as she looked around for who could have issued the plea.

"Look here..." Anima drew a square shape into the rocks, revealing a crying Gardevoir inside the wall.

"Were you the one that sent out that telepathic message before?" Ash asked.

_Yes..._ the Gardevoir replied in between sobs. _Do not harm me, I beg of you!_

"It's okay..." Brock assured the Gardevoir. "We are friends, and the true Goddess is here." he added, gesturing to Anima.

The Gardevoir tensely hovered out and allowed Anima to heal the many dried blood spots that dotted its flowing dress-like body. _I can sense that you are not with "Kadara", the disguise of Melis-she captured me and forced me to send out those messages in the guise of one of the clerics here. If I refused, I was beaten._

"That explains why the first voice we heard in that message was male..." Dawn mused.

"Gardevoirs and Gallades can tailor their telepathic messages to any gender and age of voice, regardless of their own gender." Brock explained before asking the Gardevoir "What's your name?"

_Elama..._ the Gardevoir hesitantly replied.

"Master!" Kissa called as she bounded up to Brock's side with Pikachu on her back. "We've dispatched the goblins and secured the main prayer room."

"Then all that's left is to find Melis." Anima replied as she healed both Pokemon.

"Elama...can you sense Melis anywhere?" Ash asked.

Elama focused for a moment before replying. _Yes...I sense her dark presence on the roof of the building-if you expose her true form, she will not be able to teleport._

"I will stay with Elama while you deal with Melis." Anima assured the group as she gave Elama a reassuring hug. "If you need us, just call."

"Right!" Ash replied as he led the the charge upstairs to the temple roof, where Kadara was looking out over the city at the crowd that had gathered down below. "The game is up, Melis!" he growled. "You have nowhere to go now!"

"Spirits of light, show me things hidden to the Mortal Realm! Wandering Eye!" Brock called before Kadara could react, enveloping her in a flash of white light and revealing a dull red skinned female humanoid clad in a long black robe, except for two slits in the back to accommodate a pair of large dragon-like wings.

"People of Sindura! See now the princess of darkness that has deceived you!" Dawn called down to the crowd, making screams and gasps drift skyward as they saw what the minstrel's harp had revealed.

"Why did you have to ruin my brilliant plan to welcome the Great Lord Kione to this world?" Melis complained. "Humans are so gullible, and will believe anything they are told!"

"We didn't believe a word of your drabble, so don't call us gullible!" Ash shot back.

"You insolent-" Melis grumbled before firing streaks of purple lightning at the group.

Dawn, Brock, and the Pokemon dove out of the way of Melis' attack, but Ash rolled backwards and began charging a yellow ball of electric energy. "Swirling bolts, gather and strike with power! Thunder!" Both sets of bolts combined in a blue-white explosion that could be seen in the sky all across the city.

"Silent light, shield from evil! Shell!" Dawn commanded, making pale pink auras appear around Ash, herself, the Pokemon and Brock.

"Elama...if you can hear me...broadcast what is going on here to the whole city!" Ash whispered before sidestepping one of Melis' long, dagger-like claws.

iUnderstood/i Elama's reply resonated in Ash's head as he and Melis grappled with each other, claw against sword.

After struggling for an hour against Ash, Melis spotted some of the angel statues lining the temple roof and began chanting something in the demon tongue.

"Conjuror, seek truth in silence! Silent Song!" Brock commanded, playing a familiar rising and falling melody as the black-purple ball Melis was forming fizzled away to nothing. Melis gritted her teeth and began her incantation again, but nothing happened.

"Thought you could desecrate this place even further by turning some of the guardians of this place to your side, did you?" Ash smirked. "Not today!"

"Talk and I may consider restoring your magical power." Brock added. Melis ran and lunged at the minstrel, but soon found herself relaxed by the soothing yet spirited notes of the harp. "As long as Anima is here listening to my performance, you cannot harm me nor my friends."

"Besides, we intend to expose your little masquerade right here, and right now." Ash added.

"So what? Humans cannot distinguish magic from divine acts, and will blindly accept it as truth." Melis grumbled.

"I can so distinguish magic and divine acts, and I know your 'miracles' are really magic twisted to your own selfish ends." Dawn replied. "So what did you have to gain from deceiving Sindura?"

"I can get all the gold and gifts I want from them to give to my friend Vorekar." Melis replied. "You humans name him the Master of Greed."

"So you did it for money?" Ash asked.

"No...I wanted humans willing to die for the Great Dark Lord Kione." Melis explained. "I hoped they would find receiving power through dying attractive, so that they would not fear death."

"So you wanted to use Sindura as the starting point to raise an undead army..." Brock deadpanned as he continued to play.

"Yes...yes..." Melis replied with a devious smile. "In a year's time, that army of zombies and other beings of the dark would be invincible! And under Kione's leadership, they would tear this world apart!"

"You hear that?" Dawn announced to the crowd. "Melis planned to turn you all undead and use you all to destroy Yoso! Is that what you really want?" A resounding no went up in reply.

Melis balked at this. "How...how could they hear us?"

"Forgive me for eavesdropping, Princess of Lies, but I heard the whole thing." Anima replied as she appeared on the roof with Elama. "And I will not allow what you have planned to pass!"

"Bright light, shine down on bloody impurity! Holy!" Dawn commanded as she hurled a ball of light at Melis. The crowd gasped as Melis' last scream echoed across the city as she was engulfed in light, but when the explosion faded, she was gone.

Ash sheathed his blade as Brock concluded his song. "Behold, the true Anima!" he called down to the crowd, gesturing to Anima as she flew down to the square below, where the crowd was.

"My Lady, I am so sorry for believing the Shironise Order's lies..." a man pleaded as he approached Anima.

"Forgive us, Holy Queen, for we all have commited a great sin..." a woman agreed.

"Everyone, please!" Anima giggled as Elama brought out the temple clerics. "Just by confessing that sin, you have been forgiven."

The head cleric ran to Ash as Anima tended to the townsfolk. "Words cannot begin to describe how much I wish to thank you for exposing the Shironise Order." he began. "Much less how you rescued my dear Elama." he added as he hugged Elama.

"We were called to help by the Lady Herself." Ash replied. "And so we did."

"May you receive Her greatest blessings as you go on your way." the head cleric replied. "You are always welcome in Sindura as thanks for the great deed you did here."

"Speaking of which, where do we go from here?" Kissa asked.

Anima looked up from healing a boy for a moment. "There is one more person that will join you in the quest for the Beads..." she replied, revealing a gray-blue haired girl clad in a dark green tunic-like outfit.

"So our next objective is one of the ninja villages?" Dawn asked.

"Specifically, the earth village, Miyakawa." Anima replied before returning to the townsfolk.

"I've never been there..." Ash noted as he motioned for the others to follow him to the city gates.

"I have performed for both the previous hokage and his son, the current hokage." Brock explained. "While generally, the ninjas keep to themselves, they are very appriciative of visitors from the outside world."

"Bye, Anima!" Ash waved goodbye to Anima as the group started down the path leading out of Sindura. "Thank you for everything!"

"You're most welcome, Sir Ash-I and the other gods will be watching over you every step of the way." Anima replied as she too waved goodbye over the roar of the crowd.

**To Be Continued...**


	16. Harp of the Plum Blossom

Episode 14: Harp of the Plum Blossom

Thunder rolled and rain splattered on the roof of Ash's tent, providing a sort of rhythm to the song he was practicing. It had been three days since they had left Sindura, and the group was now on the Kaiji Plains after crossing over the famous covered bridge that linked both Raben and Sindura to the realm of the ninjas. Granted, the storm had ruled out their only other option-crossing the great Lake Keshou by boat, which would have delayed their trip by many more days. That was pretty much the only positive of waiting out the storm Ash could think of-Pikachu was napping on his sleeping bag, sleepily listening to him play "The Meowth's Call" on the Dreamer's Flute.

When he had finished, he contemplated playing another song from his meager repetoire, but boredom overruled the desire to play any more. "Is this rain ever going to stop?" he groaned in frustration. "We should be in Miyakawa by now!"

"But you have been traveling many days, young mage...you need the rest." a young male voice replied.

Ash whirled around to see a young man with pale green hair standing before him. "Who are you?" he asked, reaching for his sword.

"Peace-I am Raissel, lord of the earth and all creatures in it." the man replied as he wrung out a deep green and gold cloak that covered a tunic that was a lighter green and some baggy blue green leggings. "Anima asked me to guide you to my bead, hidden somewhere in the realm of the ninjas."

"You didn't have to send all this rain!" Ash complained as Raissel fastened his cloak with a star shaped crystal clasp and adjusted the green sash with gold trim that served as a belt. Pikachu sleepily woke up and admired the diamond shaped emerald that glinted in the center of the sash.

"Complain to Mirenai, then-she rules the rains, not I." Raissel gently scolded him. "If it doesn't rain, then how else would the plants and creatures I have created get water? That, and you are a half day's walk from Miyakawa-if you push yourself now, you would be exhausted."

Ash nodded-the god of earth had a point. "Anima has shown us that one of the chunin from Miyakawa is joining our quest-can you show us exactly which one She meant?"

"You would have to ask the hokage for her name, all I can show you is what Anima showed you before." With that, Raissel conjured an image of the girl from earlier dueling with a small sword-like weapon. "We will talk more after you have found this chunin-if you need something to pass the time, ask your minstrel companion about this area-or have him play for you." With that, he disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Ash?" Brock peeked into the tent, concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"Raissel, god of the earth, appeared to me...I think his Bead is in this area..." Ash mused as he put away the Dreamer's Flute. "But what can you tell me about this place?"

"It's a wonder the stringed instruments survived this trip..." Brock muttered as he retuned the harp and cadena for what was seemingly the millionth time. "The Kaiji Realm is home to warriors trained in the mystical arts-or ninjas, as they are popularly called." he explained.

"While generally, they keep to themselves, they relish any visit from the outside world due to the harsh weather conditions of the plains." Kissa added before shaking herself dry. "There are smaller settlements scattered throughout this area, but the main cities are the five villages-Miyakawa being the earth village."

"The others are Mizutoshi, of water, Himachi, of fire, Denkoto, of lightning, and Kazemura, of wind." Brock continued as he finished tuning the cadena and starting on the fiddle. "So named because each village specializes in a different type of jutsu."

"Jutsu?" Ash was confused.

"Their word for magic spells." Brock replied. "Since they don't often visit the outside world, their language and magic is different from ours."

"Ooh, tell Ash and Dawn about the Five Hikaris!" Kissa giggled as Dawn joined them in the tent.

"The Five whats?" Dawn asked.

"Patience, Kissa, I'm getting to them." Brock assured the Persian before addressing Ash and Dawn again. "Each of the five villages has a special weapon that is said to protect the village, which they call a hikari, or light."

"So Five Hikaris means five lights..." Ash mused.

"The Hikari is housed in a shrine adjoining the ruler's-or hokage's-house, and is only wielded in times of great need." Brock concluded.

"You said earlier you performed for the hokage of Mizutoshi when you were younger-have you performed for the hokage of Miyakawa at all?" Ash was interested now. "Or any of the other hokages?"

"One of my personal goals is to perform for each of the hokages at least once." Brock replied. "So far, I have performed for Mizutoshi, Miyakawa twice, and Denkoto-I have yet to visit Himachi or Kazemura."

"What's their music like?" Dawn asked-If Brock had really been all over the world, he would have heard a dizzying array of songs in all sorts of styles.

"Well..." Brock toyed with the fiddle for a moment. "It's both very soothing and calm and blazing fast-you'll hear wood flutes, zithers, the occassional harp, and a three stringed fiddle known as a tikin." After rosining the bow and stroking a few notes, he winced at how out of tune the fiddle still was after being in the damp conditions. After seeing that the harp was the only stringed instrument he had that was in tune, he decided to play that. "I'm going to try and play what was originally meant for zither on harp-this tune's name roughly translates to 'Kazemura Breeze'. With that, he began a flowing melody that sounded vaguely like a lullaby at some times, and a dance at others.

Dawn was mesmerized by the cascading glissandos and soothing melody. "And to think that they write hundreds of songs using only five notes..."

"Well, the Kaiji harp has two sets of strings, and Master is only performing with one, so it's not as harmonious as I'd like, but still a very nice attempt at foreign music." Kissa commented.

"Kissa's right-the harp the ninjas play has strings on both sides, so they can play multiple parts at once-not to mention make some amazing harmony." Brock replied as he concluded the song. "In fact, when I first visited Denkoto, my host, Lian, asked how I was able to play with just twenty-four strings, and showed me their harp, the ikinanda/i...

"Oh, so that's what it's called-I can never remember its proper name." Kissa sighed, blushing a little. Ash pictured Brock keeping track of 48 strings and smiled-if he was this good with 24 strings, he could only imagine what his performance would sound like on a harp with twice that many.

"She deemed my harp 'Vina', which means 'the little singer'-that and her nickname for me eventually stuck throughout all five of the villages." Brock concluded as he peeked outside. "The sun is finally out, so we can continue."

iFinally!/i Ash smiled as he broke his camp-he was eager to see if all those things Brock had said about the ninjas were true!

The sun was sinking below the horizons as the sloping roofs of the village of Miyakawa came into view. "It's beautiful!" Dawn commented as she admired the ribbons on the doorposts that were fluttering in the evening breeze.

Just then, a girl spotted Brock in the distance. "Karakashu-san!" she called. "Karakashu-san's back!" she reported to some other children. The children immediately abandoned their toys and ran to embrace Brock and Kissa.

"Karakashu-san?" Ash asked.

"My title in their language." Brock explained. "It means 'the color singer'"

"Not so hard, please..." Kissa gently reminded some other children who were enthusiastically petting her. "Kissa-chan has traveled a long way to see you."

"Hold!" a boy wearing a red training tunic announced, "No outsider enters the five villages without passing the Exalted Elementals first!"

"Oh, Takuya, not this Exalted Elementals stuff again..." a girl sighed.

"Ninja of the Red Flame, Himachi!" Takuya announced.

"Ninja of the Green Earth, Miyakawa!" another boy in a green tunic announced

"Ninja of the Pink Wind, Kazemura!" a girl in a dull pink training tunic announced.

"Ninja of the Blue Sea, Mizutoshi!" a girl in a royal blue training tunic announced.

"Ninja of the Yellow Lightning, Denkoto!" a third boy in a dull yellow tunic announced.

"We are the Exalted Elementals, and you will not pass!" the children chorused.

"Now wait a minute!" Dawn protested. "You guys don't even know who we are!"

"That's right, and you must be punished for setting foot on our land!" Takuya retorted before Dawn could complete her sentence. "Hi Majiiro no jutsu! Whirling Fire Ring!" he commanded, sending a burning ring flying at the group.

"Power of darkness, hear my song and embrace the light! Hypnotic Aria!" Brock commanded. As he played a calm melody, he added "You will stay your spell, and inform your parents that we come in peace."

"I will stay my jutsu and inform Mom that you come in peace." Takuya repeated in a monotone as his eyes swirled under the spell of the harp. "Hi Majiro no jutsu, tachisaru." he commanded, making the ring of fire fizzle out as quickly as it appeared.

"Then, you will tell Karakashu-san that you're sorry for mistaking him and his companions for intruders." Brock continued.

"I'm sorry I mistook you and your friends for intruders, Karakashu-san." Takuya repeated. "I will not do it again." With that, Brock ended the song, snapping Takuya from his trance.

"Forgive Takuya, Karakashu-san." a woman in a royal blue robe began as she hugged Takuya. "He and his friends like to pretend they are guardians of the villages, when we have the Five Hikaris to do that."

"Don't worry-he won't be bothering travelers for a while." Brock assured the woman.

"Emina." the woman smiled.

"Well then, Emina...is the hokage receiving visitors at the moment?" Brock asked.

"I'm sure he would be delighted to see you perform." Emina smiled before flagging a messenger. "Inform the hokage that Karakashu-san has returned." The messenger nodded and hurried off towards an ornate house on the western end of the village.

"Hokage Keiji, Karakashu-san has arrived and wishes to perform for you." a servant announced as the group approached the receiving hall's oranately decorated door.

"Send him in." came the reply.

The servant gently pushed the door open, allowing the group access to the simple yet elegant room, where a black haired young man was seated on a small golden chair, who Ash assumed was Keiji. While Dawn took a moment to admire the screens on the walls depicting flowers, trees, and the sea; Ash marveled at the hokage's ornate green, gold, and brown robe as Brock stepped foward and bowed before him-there were many designs of leaves, flowers, and trees woven throughout the swirling patterns adorning the layered robe.

After a few tense seconds of silence, Keiji spoke. "Welcome back, Karakashu-san...have you perhaps come to entertain all the new chunin? Or maybe sing of one of Dokusentoki's exploits?"

"The chunin exam has already passed?" Brock was surprised. "I wanted so much to come and inspire the candidates...but Megami Anima had other plans for me."

"Indeed She has...I have heard much about how you found Her gem in the catacombs of Whitespell, and how you drove a demon out of Sindura with Her help." Keiji replied. "But what is past is past-you can still sing the praises of all our fine chunin, or weave us a tale or two."

"Before that, though...I want to introduce you to my companions, who will be helping me..." Brock began before gesturing to Ash. "Ash of Masuliro Lodge, my guardian..."

"Welcome, Kokenin-san..." Keiji replied as Ash gave a shy bow.

"Kokenin means 'guardian' in their language." Brock discretely whispered to Ash before addressing Keiji again. "And Dawn of Whitespell, our advisor in things both secular and sacred." Dawn shyly smiled before bowing to Keiji.

"And our welcome to you too, Chiryoshi-hime." Keiji replied.

Dawn stifled a giggle at the title Keiji had bestowed on her. "Forgive me, great hokage, but I am far too poor to be considered a princess..."

"And yet you serve the mighty Megami Anima, Queen of Heaven-isn't that an acceptable reason to be called a princess?" Keiji assured Dawn. Dawn nodded in agreement-the hokage had a point, but her red tinged face signaled that she was still embarrassed of her new title.

"Now that we have finished the introductions, I will weave you a tale." Brock smiled before retrieving his harp. "Listen, and Vina will tell you of a time long past..."

"What tales are popular around your hometown, Kokenin-san?"" Keiji interuppted. "I have not heard a tale from that area in some time...maybe a Buneary tale?"

"Well, Buneary's counterpart in my hometown is the wily Pikachu Sorin." Ash explained.

Brock took that opportunity to begin a quiet melody. "One day, Sorin was walking along a jungle path, and saw Chimchar swinging about in the trees. Just watching Chimchar catch something with his flaming tail gave Sorin an idea. Early the next morning, Sorin gathered hundreds of vines and wove them into a trap that worked in a similar fashion. He walked for a while until he saw Wargle's nest on a ledge, but when he threw out the noose to snatch an egg, he brought down the whole nest with him!" He adds a downward glissando for effect, to some giggles from the hokage's servants. "Fortunately, the nest landed upright, so no eggs were harmed." he adds as an aside. "Sorin took one of the eggs and added it to the many treasures stashed in his burrow. "When Wargle saw her nest on the ground and one of the eggs missing, she flew into a panic and screamed..."

"Oh no! Someone stole one of my eggs! We have to catch the thief!" Dawn fills in the dialogue.

"So the Pokemon of the jungle went to ask King Entei about what to do." Brock continues. "After listening to Wargle's tearful plea, he said to the other Pokemon..." He switches to a lower pitched version of himself. "We will leave the nest here, and catch the thief when he returns to steal another egg." As himself, he continues "But Sorin had been listening the whole time-he knew they would be leaving Delcatty to catch the thief. Sorin knew that Delcatty was as strong as she was beautiful, but he wasn't scared. That night, while all the Pokemon slept, Sorin set up his trap on the path to Wargle's nest, being careful to disguise it so others couldn't see it. Once sure his trap was set, Sorin crept to some bushes and rustled them, alerting Delcatty!" Ash rustles some grass for effect. "She leapt to attack, but tripped the noose, leaving her helplessly dangling from two trees." The entire court roared with laughter at the mental picture of a Delcatty hanging upside down.

"And then what happened, Karakashu-san?" Keiji wheezed, wiping away a tear of laughter.

"With Delcatty hanging in his trap and too busy crying for help, Sorin snatched another egg." Brock continued. "When the Pokemon returned that night, they set Delcatty free, but Wargle was shocked to find another egg gone. Delcatty assured King Entei that she had not seen anything suspicious, but King Entei vowed to capture the thief. Primeape volunteered to watch the nest the next night, and Sorin again set his trap and rustled some leaves, When Primeape rushed to attack the intruder, he too was caught in the trap, and Sorin snatched another egg." More laughter filled the palace. "The other Pokemon quickly set Primeape free, and he said to King Entei...

"There's a trickster among us..." Ash fills in the dialogue.

"Leopardash volunteered the next night, saying he could outwit any trickster, but he too was caught in the trap." Brock continued. "One by one, the Pokemon tried to catch the thief taking Wargle's eggs, but they would all be caught in Sorin's trap. Finally, only one egg was left."

"So who finally caught Sorin?" a maid asked.

"Finally, Wartortle volunteered, saying..." Brock continued.

"I will catch the thief." Dawn confiently declares in character.

"But if Delcatty, Primeape, Leopardash, and the others all failed, how will you succeed?" Brock asks as King Entei.

"Just you wait." Dawn replies as Wartortle.

"King Entei decided to trust Wartortle, and put her in charge that night." Brock continues as he plays a brief interlude. "Wartortle decided to climb inside the nest alongside the last egg, where she watched Sorin set his trap and rustle the bushes, eager to see who he would catch. But when no one came, he looked into the nest, where there appeared to be two eggs. He was about to snatch what he thought was a large egg when Wartortle bit him on the leg!" The audience laughs at this. "Sorin pleaded and pleaded for Wartortle to let go, but in all the confusion, Sorin wound up caught in his own trap!" He begins one last interlude as the laughter quiets. "King Entei commanded Sorin to return Wargle's eggs, but as he did, he was already plotting what sort of trick to play next-because that's Sorin for you!"

"Nothing less from Karakashu-san!" a servant smiled as Brock led the bows.

"Well told, Karakashu-san." Keiji smiled.

Brock's expression turned business-like. "My true reason for my visit is because of a vision of the great Megami Anima...She has revealed to me that one of the chunin is fated to go with me."

"I could call every one out for you to inspect..." Keiji offered.

"Oh no...that would be too time consuming." Kissa interjected.

"Then how about this...in the morning, I have all the chunin gather in the square to prove themselves to you-the one that passes whatever test you determine is the one the Queen of Heaven has chosen to go with you."

"We accept your proposal." Dawn replied.

A maid then approached the group. "Come...you have likely traveled far, and must be exhausted."

"We have prepared a room for you-the hokage's guests deserve the very best." another maid agreed as she led them down a hallway and into a room decorated with an ornate green and gold rug and a large bed with a sakura print bedspread. Two sofa-like beds encircled the bed.

Ash was about to jump in the large bed, but a maid gently guided him to one of the sofa-like beds. "No...that bed is for Karakashu-san. You sleep here." He sighed and collapsed into the smaller bed-the least he could do was humor his host, and they had a busy day in the morning...

**To Be Continued...**


	17. The Seed of Promise

Episode 15: The Seed of Promise

Ash laid awake in his small bed and admired the scene of a sunny day that was painted on the ceiling in the hokage's guest room. His companions were still sleeping, so he closed his eyes to doze. _So far, this has been an amazing journey...but I miss Milina and how we used to stroll in the market of Masuliro..._ He imagined the roar of the surf in the distance, the chatter of the crowds jostling to approach the merchant's stalls and see what they had to sell. _Milina would always tell me to wait for the crowds to die down..._ he thought as he pictured the merchant's stalls neatly lined in a row-either overlooking the wharf or lining the streets. Then he imagined the merchants calling for the crowds to see this blade, buy this pendant, or haggle for that tunic. And then there was the bewildering array of items availiable to buy-the glittering jewelry, clothing of every color, shape, and size, the aroma of fish in the air-_Wait, how did fish get in my daydream?_

"Kissa...did you have to bring that Goldeen in here?" he heard Dawn mumble in disgust as she began to stir.

"Let me guess-Kissa went fishing while we were all asleep and has now brought her catch in here in hopes I will cook it for breakfast?" Brock sleepily asked as he too smelled the pungent aroma of a dead fish.

"Where did you find a place to fish, anyway?" Ash wondered as he climbed from the bed and stretched.

"There's a river not far from the village...sometimes the ninjas train there or go fishing themselves." Kissa replied as she watched her master take the lifeless Goldeen to the kitchen to be prepared. "But why bother with rods and nets when I can just catch them mid jump?"

"Goodness, why does it smell so awful in here?" a maid asked as she brought Ash's now clean clothing to him.

"Kissa-chan decided to go on a midnight fishing trip while we all slept last night." Brock deadpanned as he returned. "Feline creatures do have excellent fishing skills, so at times I don't wish to hunt myself, I can always count on Kissa to catch a fish." Some soft crackling and a more pleasent aroma drifted in the room to punctuate Brock's point.

"Next time, if we're staying in someone's house, leave your catch in the kitchen." Ash sighed before stepping behind a screen to change.

Once everyone had dressed and eaten breakfast, the group met Keiji in the receiving hall again. "Shall I call out the chunin for you now?"

"Not yet-we are not sure what kind of test we wish to use to find the one chosen by Anima." Brock replied.

"Have them all battle to find the one?" Ash suggested-he had heard that a ninja's fighting skill was legendary.

"We would need thousands of matches if the village has as many candidates as I think they do." Dawn interjected. "So it would be too time consuming...I propose that we test their wits rather than strength."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Ash muttered.

"Have Brock tell a riddle tale, and the one to figure out the riddle goes with us." Dawn suggested.

"That is a reasonable idea, but the Queen of Heaven has only chosen one, when there are many who could answer a riddle." Keiji cautioned.

"Great Hokage, what do you suggest we do to find the one Anima has chosen?" Brock asked. "I don't have any suitable ideas myself..."

"You do know a spell that inflicts bothersome conditions?" Keiji asked.

"Yes-some that inflict more than one ailment." Brock replied.

"What is the strongest one you know?"

"The strongest condition inducing spell I know at the moment is Dark Water-a shadowy wave that is guaranteed to inflict at least one malady on the traget."

"That's perfect!" Keiji smiled.

"We accept your proposal." Ash replied. "In return, may we use your training arenas to prepare ourselves for the next leg of our journey?"

"Of course, Kokenin-san-anyone with a desire to become stronger may train in our arenas." Keiji replied. "Meet in the plaza at sundown, when the chunin will assemble."

"Hear that? Don't get too involved in training." Dawn cautioned as the group turned to leave.

_Yes, Mom..._ Ash sighed as the group departed the house. He could hear the various chimes on the shop's entryways jingling as the three of them walked towards the central plaza, signaling that they were open for business.

"Mm..." Dawn sighed happily as she smelled the aroma of cooked meats and fruits coming from a food shop. "I love strolling through a town's market district in the morning..."

"Yeah...the food's freshest then!" Ash agreed, his mouth watering at the sight of several rows of buns and berries in another food shop.

Just as the group arrived in the plaza, Brock felt a light tug on his cloak. "Yes?" he asked when he spotted a young girl clad in the dull green training tunic of a young ninja behind him.

"Please, Karakashu-san, tell me about one of Dokusentoki's adventures." the girl begged.

"I want to hear a story about a great quest!" a boy called as he ran to join the girl. Before long, many more children in similar attire were all crowded around Brock, their pleas shattering the morning calm:

"What about the episode where Dokusentoki battles Rayquaza?"

"Tell a Pokemon tale!"

"Maybe you've heard of the father of our mistress?"

"It's said her father's descended from Dokusentoki himself!"

"I wouldn't be surprised, considering his love for poison and condition inducing jutsu!"

"All right..." a black haired girl in a chunin's tunic interjected as she caught up with the children. "We must let Karakashu-san continue on his way..."

"He's leaving?" a girl gasped.

Brock's heart sank at the chorus of "Aw"s that went up from the children. "Lady Chunin, I will gladly weave them a tale if you too are willing to listen." Hopeful whispers wafted through the crowd. "My companions and I were traveling to the training grounds..."

"As were we." the girl replied.

"But it appears I need the training the most-to train my skill at waving tales." Brock replied as he retrieved his harp and played Marista's Song to focus his thoughts. The girl, meanwhile, quieted the joyful chatter and listened as the song ended.

"Karakashu-san, why does Moltres have a burning tail?" a boy asked.

Brock contemplated the boy's question for a few seconds, then began. "Once all the birds of the world came to Megami Anima and asked her to teach them. Anima agreed to teach one of them, but gave the birds this challenge-the apprentice she chose would stand out from all of them. She bade them to return at midnight, when she would choose the lucky apprentice. While the other birds went their seperate ways, there was one little firebird who was not very confident in herself-I will call her Doitan."

"Why was she not very confident?" a girl asked.

"Her feathers did not burn like other firebirds-but Doitan did not despair about it; she figured there was no chance the Queen of Heaven would choose her, so she would just go about her day and not worry about it." Brock replied before playing a brief interlude. "As she went down the road, she found a traveler faint with sweat and exhaustion-for it was the heat of the day. Doitan pitied the poor boy and gave him some of her tail feathers to make a fan. Then, she met a girl despairing over not having anything suitable to wear to a dance. Doitan decided to give some of her own tail feathers to the girl to make a beautiful gown that glittered with the light of a red flame. This continued all day-Doitan would find people in need and help them by giving them a tail feather or two." Giggles go up from the crowd when they picture a firebird with no tail feathers at all.

"But what did the great megami say when she saw Doitan?" a boy asks.

"Was she angry?" Even the chunin is interested in the tale.

"When Anima inspected the birds that night, she found that Doitan stood out from the crowd, and wondered why she had no tail feathers at all." Brock replied over a quiet melody. "Doitan explained that she wanted to help others, and so gave her tail feathers away. Anima was touched at Doitan's generosity, and announced to the other birds and the other gods that Doitan would be her apprentice. As a gift for her generosity, the Fire Maiden Deami took some flames and crafted Doitan a new set of tail feathers, a set that rivaled even Ho'oh's feathers!" Some "oh"s drift through the crowd at this. "Then, Deami called..." He switches to a scarily accurate imitation of Deami. "Hi Magiiro no jutsu! Jet of Dragon Flame!" Cheers drown out the upward glissando Brock performs to represent flames flaring up. "No sooner had Deami cast the jutsu, did Doitan's new feathers ignite in a bright red flame that could be seen all across the sky!"

"I bet that looked beautiful!" Dawn smiles.

"Doitan thanked both goddesses and soared off into the night to the cheers of the other birds, her flaming feathers bringing happiness and joy wherever she went-and that explains why Moltres has a flaming tail." he concludes to some applause.

Hours went by as Brock wove one tale after another, but by the time he finally finished his show that evening, he noticed that a large crowd had appeared around a large platform, and motioned for Ash and Dawn to follow him.

"Chunin of Miyakawa, Karakashu-san comes before you on a great quest." Keiji began as The group joined him on the platform. "Furthermore, Megami Anima has decreed one of you is to join him and his companions-the one that can successfully resist or deflect his strongest condition inducing spellsong."

"Any volunteers?" Brock asked as he looked out over the sea of green tunics.

"I will!" a deep brown haired boy declared as he charged up to the platform and faced Brock. "Sing your worst spell, and I will resist it!"

"Okay...Black sea of evil, cover this light! Dark Water!" Brock commanded before playing a hypnotic melody that conjured a large wave of navy blue water. The boy focused for a moment, but his chakra focus wasn't enough to keep him from being drenched as well as blinded and confused.

"Heavenly wind, carry us to the fountain of power! Esuna!" Dawn commanded, healing the boy of the Dark Water's effects.

"So Akira isn't the one..." Keiji sighed.

"Try me!" a teal haired girl asked as she joined Brock and the others on the platform.

"You really want to do this, Suzume?" Keiji asked.

"Yes! I have mastered a water jutsu from a friend in Mizutoshi-I'm sure it can contain the spellsong!" Suzume replied.

"Very well then..." Brock replied before preparing to play again. "Black sea of evil, cover this light! Dark Water!"

"Mizu Magiiro no jutsu! Water Prison!" Suzume commanded, conjuring a large ball of water that for a moment appeared to contain the Dark Water, but after a few tense seconds, the ball burst open, splattering Suzume and confusing her.

"Suzume isn't the one either..." Keiji sighed as Dawn healed Suzume of her confusion.

Ash looked on as one by one, the chunin faced Brock and the Dark Water spell. But no matter what they did, be this a counter jutsu or flat out resisting, they all succumbed to various conditions brought on by the inky water.

After several more hours, Dawn sighed as she healed another chunin. "I'm beginning to think we should try another plan..."

"Wait!" a familiar voice called from the crowd.

"Janine? You truly want to try?" Keiji gasped as the black haired chunin from earlier approached the platform. "Are you sure?"

"Great Hokage, if she wants to try, let her." Ash assured Keiji.

"Sing your strongest magic, Karakashu-san, and I will overcome it!" Janine challenged as she faced Brock.

Brock sighed-that was what most of the other chunin had said. He lifted his hands to the harp strings again, but before he could call the incantation to Dark Water, another voice screamed. "Hokage Keiji! An oshidotane is approaching!"

"Huh?" Ash whirled around and gasped with the crowd at the lumbering vaguely human shaped mass of roots and grass headed for the village...

**To Be Continued...**


	18. The Missing Light

Episode 16: The Missing Light

"Come on!" Ash led the charge against the mammoth tree-like monster. "Out of the ground, raze all greenery in flame!-"

"Wait!" Janine called, but sighed as Ash's fireball went flying at the oshidotane. "Monsters like this absorb magic to get stronger."

"NOW you tell me..." Ash gasped as the oshidotane grew slightly larger in response to his attack.

"That also means that I cannot use any offensive jutsu, nor can Karakashu-san sing an offensive spell song." Janine continued.

"But how are we supposed to attack this thing if we can't cast any spells?" Ash asked as he dove out of the way of the oshidotane's fists of grass that leveled a few stalls in the process.

"You HAVE a weapon, Ash! Use that!" Dawn suggested over the whistling of hundreds of shurikens and her arrows.

Ash drew his blade and slashed at the oshidotane's massive stomach, making it shrink a little. _I see-it treats any sort of magic like sunlight, growing larger and stronger in the process!_ he thought as he rolled out of the way of his opponent's fists again. _But, even with hundreds of people, it would take hours to cut this monster down to size!_

Janine, meanwhile, deftly jumped over the platform and began focusing some green energy in her hands. "Chi Magiiro no jutsu! Earthen Wall!" With that, she slammed her own fist into the ground, creating a large rock wall dotted with vines and flowers between the oshidotane, the crowd, and the rest of the village.

"Janine...would a spellsong inflicting a condition work on this beast at all?" Brock wondered.

"No...it would only turn the condition back on the caster." Janine replied. "You CAN enchant a weapon, since it cannot sense magic when it is hidden in something."

"Play Fire Blade!" Ash suggested as he jumped out of the way of the oshidotane's fist.

"Actually, you guys seem to be doing fine just cutting it down." Brock assured him as the oshidotane continued to shrink. "So I see no reason to play."

"Ha!" Janine heaved a knife at the now relatively small monster, finally slaying it after a long battle.

Ash sheathed his blade. "Hopefully another one won't appear."

"It's all the more reason why we must find the one Megami Anima has chosen." Keiji replied as Brock and Janine faced each other on the miraculously unscathed platform.

"Ready?" Brock replied to Janine.

Janine just gave a confident nod. "Play your best spellsong."

"Okay...Black sea of evil, cover this light! Dark Water!" Brock commanded, summoning the familiar inky black wave from his harp strings.

Janine just gritted her teeth. "Hi Magiiro no jutsu! Dancing Fire Blade!"

The crowd cheered as a flaming sword emerged from the red energy in Janine's hands, neutralizing the Dark Water to harmless steam.

"Very clever..." Ash mused as the fire sword sliced through the inky water, creating steam all the while.

"Pi pika!" Pikachu agreed as Janine stepped down from the platform.

"We've found the chosen!" Keiji announced, making even more cheers go up from the crowd.

Just then, a messenger ran through the steam, tears streaming down his face. "Hokage! Our Hikari has been taken!" The joy in the crowd turned to gasps.

"How could that be?" Ash demanded.

"The oshidotane couldn't have possibly been able to fit inside the shrine of the Hikari..." Keiji began.

"Then maybe the grass monster was a decoy!" Ash announced.

"Ash is right..." Dawn agreed. "While we were all busy fighting the...grass monster..."

"Oshidotane-the king seed." Keiji gently corrected Dawn.

"Okay...while we were all busy with the o-seedo-tain..." Dawn continued, making some laughter drift through the crowd at her terrible pronounciation. "That only served as cover for another smaller being to enter the shrine."

"And I know just what that was!" Janine announced, interrupting Dawn. "Look there, by the shrine!" she asked, gesturing to a trail of odd tracks leading to the shrine.

"Those look the same as the ones you saw by the waterfall, Janine-san." a chunin commented.

"Some days ago, I was training by Suman Falls, which is not far from the village." Janine explained. "As I meditated in the water, I saw a small beast emerge from the woods-what sort of beast, I wasn't able to see-and enter the caves that serve as a secret way into the shrine."

"Furthermore, I checked the shrine of Hikari no Shizen moments ago, and those same tracks are there, leading back into the caves." a black haired man in black ninja garb with purple trim began as he approached the group.

"Master Koga..." some in the crowd gasped.

"The descendant of Dokusentoki..." some other young ninja agreed.

"What my daughter Janine has told you thus far is true, but I have more information for you if you decide to pursue the thief that took Hikari no Shizen." Koga continued as he embraced Janine.

"We'll need all the info we can get." Ash replied.

"What more do you know?" Dawn asked.

"For an outsider to even enter the shrine, they must brave the caves of the waterfall, and prove themselves worthy to the blue dragon Furuda, the guardian of the caves." Koga explained. "But, the thief has likely left the shrine and returned to the caves, so to travel there would be futile."

"As one of the guardians of the Five Hikaris, Furuda lives for all time-he can be slain again and again, and never die." Janine explained.

"Will you help us retrieve our treasure, great color singer?" Koga asked Brock.

"Please, Karakashu-san?" some children begged.

"You have my word that we will do all we can to save the Hikari." Brock replied, to the crowd's cheers.

**To Be Continued...**


	19. Roni's Challenge

Episode 19: Roni's Challenge

"Where are the waterfalls, anyway?" Ash asked Janine as the group tromped through one of the rare forested areas around the village.

"Patience!" Janine knows these areas, so trust her skill." Kissa assured him. Ash just sighed-they'd been tromping through one of the Kaiji Realm's rare forests for the better part of an hour, and he didn't see a stream or waterfalls anywhere.

"Don't foreget Kissa knows where the river is too." Dawn added, snickering about the morning's fish incident.

"I found it completely by accident..." Kissa confessed. "When I'm in a new place and there's a river, lake or stream, I have to try some of the local fish-and this was some of the best fish I've had in some time."

"I'm sure the Earth Kami would be happy to hear that, Kissa-san. "Janine smiled. "I'm also impressed you were able to find the river without help.

"So you've found the chunin?" a male voice began.

"Raissel!" Ash smiled as a green light flew before him, revealing a miniature version of the earth god.

"Great Earth Kami!" Janine bowed before Raissel. "I am the one chosen by your queen..."

"And confirmed by Brock's song." Dawn added.

"Janine knows this already, but I felt I would tell you also about the training area here." Raissel began as he led the group into a large clearing, where a large waterfall spilled into a rushing river. "Inside these caves are many traps and puzzles, one of which is another way into the shrine housing the Hikari of the earth village."

"The Hikari is gone, and Janine is helping us get it back." Ash explained.

"Her knowledge should help you, for these will not be like the puzzles you saw in the Whitespell Catacombs." Raissel cautioned. "Furthermore, you also need to prove yourselves to the dragon that guards the Hikari..."

"Forgive my interupption, but what sorts of puzzles can I expect to see?" Ash asked, a note of fear in his voice.

"While I feel it would be best for you to see them with your own eyes, I will tell you that they are harder than a game of Mystic's Eyes." Raissel replied. "I and the other gods have faith that you will have the wits to figure them out and bring whoever took the Hikari to justice." With that, he disappeared into the sky in a flash of green.

There was a brief silence before Kissa asked "Well, now what?"

"So , we need to hunt down the thief in the caves..." Ash mused before showing the group some drawings. "We work our way through the caves..." he mused, gesturing to his stick figure scene of the group in a cave. "solving any puzzles they may throw at us..." he continued as he referrred to the stick figure drawing of the group flipping and spinning various objects. "convince Furuda that there's danger in his abode and we need to get rid of it..." Dawn stifled a giggle at the stick figure Ash negotiating with a stick figure dragon. "Have Brock play fiddle while I d-WHAT?"

Everyone laughed at Ash's reaction to the next drawing in the sequence: a scene of a slightly better drawing of Brock playing fiddle while a better drawing of Ash danced for the unseen dragon. "How'd this get in here?"

At this, a blue feline-like creature with a mermaid-like tail emerged from the pond behind Janine, giggling with pride. "Kaimana-san, you know better than to play tricks on guests!" Janine scolded. "I am helping this mage and his friends on his journey-this is no time to ruin our plans!"

"Vapori..." the creature sadly sighed.

"I know you only wanted to play, but now isn't the time." Janine assured the creature before addressing Ash. "Forgive my pet, Kokenin-san-she enjoys playing tricks on others to get their attention...

"Ash, please..." Ash replied as he crumpled up the picture, revealing the correct picture of the stick figure group following a trail of tracks.

"How is it that an earth ninja receives a water Pokemon?" Dawn wondered.

"Father gave me Kaimana as a gift from a friend in Mizutoshi-I raised her from an Eevee to a lovely Vaporeon." Janine replied. "Despite her playful tendencies, she makes a fine scout and partner in battle; and a budding artist as well."

"So she was the one that drew the picture of Ash dancing?" Brock asked. Janine nodded. "She paints well, for a Pokemon."

"Thank you-she often paints pictures of what she desires rather than cry for attention." Janine replied before hugging the Vaporeon.

"I don't see any harm in an inspirational two-step before we go inside the caves..." Brock smiled as he unearthed the fiddle case from his bag.

"And I'm not that great a dancer, but I'll try." Ash agreed as he waited for Brock to tune.

When Brock was ready, he played a few bars of "Song for Marista" in rememberance of the woman that had spurred him to learn the way of the minstrel before segueing into an elegant waltz. While there were a few mistakes in the tune and Ash's steps were a bit jerky, Kaimana just nodded her head in time to the music, bemused in the mage that swayed and swirled about the forest clearing in time to the fiddle's song.

Some applause startled Ash, sending him falling to the forest floor. "Well done, dancing mage, but is that enough to prove you worthy of a goddess' bead?"

"Roni..." Brock growled as he put the fiddle away.

"What do you want?" Ash wondered as he regained his bearings.

"I don't know how running around with shadow warriors will help find the Beads, but if you don't hit just the right notes, I'll be off with them." Roni replied as she strolled into the clearing.

"You take that back..." Janine cautioned, appalled at being called a "shadow warrior"

"What do you mean, hitting just the right notes?" Dawn asked, confused by Roni's challenge.

"Are you saying you want to challenge me for Anima's Diamond?" Brock retorted as he reached for his blade.

"Oh, no, Brock, I don't want to physically fight you...I'd rather have a duel of song." Roni assured her rival. "Win, and you can keep Anima's Diamond. Lose, and it's mine."

**To Be Continued...**


	20. A Battle in Song

Episode 18: A Battle in Song

"Okay...here are the rules for this contest..." Ash began as he addressed Brock and Roni. "Each of you are to perform one fast song and one slow song of your choice-the best crowd reaction after both songs wins."

"Not much of a crowd..." Dawn sighed-aside from her, Ash and Janine, the Pokemon were the only others present.

"In the event of a tie after both rounds, each of you are to try casting a Song Magic spell-the one that manages to cast successfully, wins." Ash continued. "Any questions?"

"Not really." Roni replied.

"No questions here." Brock replied as he finished tuning his harp. "I volunteer to begin with a crowd favorite-the first episode of 'The Ballad of the Beast Riders'.

"Good luck, Karakashu-san!" Janine called in encouragement as Brock began a brisk melody.

_Dark times fell on Yoso in a war so long ago..._ Brock began. _Many fell in battle; land, sea and sky heard many a woe. But three young lads joined in the fight, to bring back Anima's light..._

_Fare thee well, Beast Rider!_ Dawn joined in at the end of the verse.

_These three young lads dreamed one night that they were by the Beasts' side, three more like them, many years before, had been called to ride..._ Brock started the second verse. _But rumblings of darkness were afoot, and they knew not their destiny..._

_Remember your call, Beast Rider!_ Dawn led the response. This continued for some time-Brock singing, verse by verse, the story of the Beast Riders' battle against demons bent on destroying the Legendaries, with the small audience joining in with the response at the right time:

_Some demons came to Oliva Port, and there they made their seige. The mage's guard tried to douse the flames, but this only fanned their rage. By the time the chaos died, the Light Guardian was taken and the people cried..._

_Deliver us, O Beast Rider!_

_The three young lads were sound asleep and lost in a holy dream. Anima came to them that night and told them of the scheme. That darkness was on the move again, and the port had fallen fast; they quickly woke and fled that night, fearing it was their last..._

_We ride again, Beast Rider!_

_The lads soon came to the tower of gold, and pleaded to come in. The guardians there sensed a holy light, yet reluctantly sent them in. They came unto the Beast's great lair and could hardly contain their wonder, at the Water Puma, the Fire Lion, and the great Legend of Thunder..._

_How beautiful, Beast Rider!_

_Entei was the most surprised that the lads were all so young, yet one lad tried to mount Raikou, and to the floor was nearly flung. Raikou challenged him to fight to wield his wonderful power. Thus began an epic battle that lasted more than an hour..._

_I challenge you, Beast Rider!_

_The Legend and the lad did clash, with blade, claw and Pokemon, and for every blow that Raikou struck, the lad countered with his own. Finally Raikou told the lad that victory he had won, and allowed him to climb aboard, a new Beast Rider born..._

_O victorious Beast Rider!_

_The other lads, they too did fight, and earned the other Beasts' trust in turn, but then they remembered their studies, and all they had to learn. Their teacher did not believe them as up to the study they rode, as he thought the Beasts were legend, locked away in some abode..._

_They're wild and free, Beast Rider!_

_Suicune was offended as the scholar mocked and jeered-how could he say those things to him, this scholar so revered? The water Beast and rider felt the scholar needed to be put in his place, and with a mighty gust of wind, the two of them gave chase!_

_More than a legend, Beast Rider!_

After a little flourish, Brock began the final verse. _After a sprint around the plain, the scholar believed the tale; he was nearly exhausted, his face so ghostly pale. He bid the riders blessings as they rode off on their quest, he knew as well as they did they were in for a far greater test..._

_Believe in them, Beast Rider!_ Dawn led the last response before leading the applause.

Roni was not impressed. "That's it? I thought there were more verses than that..."

"There are, but we'd be here for a long time if I sang every verse." Brock replied.

"If I remember, there are hundreds of verses to that song, with more being added as we learn more information about the Riders." Ash agreed. "So it was a good thing you only performed the first episode. " He motioned to Roni. "You may begin when you're ready."

Roni hummed a note to assure she was in tune, then began._ He was on the run for something not done, but many demanded his life. The chamberlain had been found dead, but no one knew who caused the strife. Since he was there inside the chamber when the guard arrived, a jealous lady blamed him in a story quite contrived..._

"'The Earth God's Horn'...a great choice for Roni's range." Dawn commented as Roni's soft yet warm soprano told the tale of a prince accused of murder that he did not commit, and how he exposed the jealous lady as the true culprit thanks to an eccentric mage and Raissel's enchanted horn.

Even Ash couldn't resist Roni's stirring rendition of the song. "This round goes to Roni. Now, for the slow round..."

Roni hummed another note, then began. _I saw it on my window, glittering in the sun, Where did it come from, I wonder? This tiny gold coin on the sill, its beauty second to none?_

Dawn winced as Roni struggled to hit the many low notes in "The Coin in the Wood". "That one's better suited for an alto voice like mine."

"You sing too, Chiryoshi-hime?" Janine was impressed.

"Yes-I sang all the time as I did chores or prepared the training grounds." Dawn replied. "I'm not minstrel worthy by any means, but if it were Roni and me singing that song, I would win."

Brock slowly nodded in agreement as Roni concluded-if what he had heard her singing back at Whitespell was any indication, Dawn wasn't too bad a singer. He took his harp and began another soft melody. _Why do you cry, little maid on the shore? Are your tears in lament to a bygone day of yore? Or have you lost someone dear to you, never to return? Whatever it is, I'll help you find for what it is you yearn._

'Wings of Knowledge'...Janine mused. "Karakashu-san sang that one at last year's chunin exam...it put all the village to sleep."

Ash smiled sleepily at the quiet song-he remembered his mother singing the song about a Yanma helping a little girl find two items when he was a baby-and Brock's was a beautiful rendition, to say the least.

When the song ended, Ash began. "With this round going to Brock, both of you are now tied at one apiece-cast me a spell using Song Magic, and we'll see who is worthy of keeping Anima's Diamond."

"You're on!" Roni dashed over to the cave entrance and readied her pipes to play. "Nature's fury, strike down darkness with green earth-GAH!"

"Zubats!" Dawn gasped at the swarm of small blue bat creatures diving at Roni.

"While they cannot see, they are very sensitive to sound..." Ash began as Roni tried again and again to swat the Zubats away.

"That's why we must be very quiet when we train in the caves-I know first hand how painful their bites and claws can be." Janine agreed as she showed Ash and Dawn a small puncture wound on her left arm.

Brock, meanwhile, saw a Zubat diving to claw Roni in the neck. "Stone of light, shine and protect these souls from danger! Diamond Shell!"

"That's a new spell..." Dawn gasped as she watched the harp create a shining white barrier around them that appeared to be made from diamonds.

Roni was just as surprised at the Zubats trying to attack the shining barrier, only to be rebuffed with a burst of light. "You...actually saved me?"

"Consider it returning the favor for your rescuing me at Whitespell." Brock smiled as he played. "You may be my rival, but it pains me to see anyone in danger and not help them."

"So at any rate, we're even now." Roni replied as the Zubats fluttered back inside the cave. "That, and you've proven yourself worthy of Anima's Diamond-you can keep it." With that, Roni gathered up her supplies and started down the forest path.

"Roni seemed a bit nicer after you saved her..." Dawn noted as the group entered the cave. "Maybe you're teaching her-through your kindness-that being arrogant goes nowhere?"

"Could be, and I have long desired for the two of us to get along." Brock replied. "Whether she's coming around or not, I leave in the gods' hands...for now, we have a Hikari to save!"

**To Be Continued...**


	21. Guardian of the Magic

Episode 19: Guardian of the Magic

"Wow..." Dawn gasped at the expanse of the waterfall cave. in addition to moss growing on the walls, ceilings, and the floor; there were also many glowing crystals embedded in the rock formations, adding an ethereal beauty to the rivers and streams that flowed throughout the cave.

"Va pori eon pori." Kaimana explained, gesturing to a glowing blue crystal.

"Kaimana-san says that the crystals here serve as light in the cave and that they harbor pure _chi_-what we call magical energy." Janine explained. "We harvest a few each year to give to mages that visit and keep the ecosystem in here balanced."

"I see-if the crystals grow too much, their light would kill many creatures here and blind anyone that were to enter." Dawn mused.

"Yes-it would even blind the great Furuda." Janine replied. "His abode is not far from here." With that, she sprinted off around a corner.

"Hey, wait!" Ash called as he lead the others around the bend and through a twisting path riddled with stalagmites, trying to keep up with Janine all the while, but despite all his efforts to keep up, he arrived in an alcove seconds later, heaving with fatigue. Janine was nearby, looking out over a large lake. "How do you manage to run so fast?"

"Daily training, Ash-san." Janine replied. "Ever since I was small, we were told to run every day. Those that could not run a given distance every day were urged by their masters to train harder until they could-and then the given distance would increase."

"No wonder you rival a Deerling in speed." Brock gasped, impressed.

"Much less me." Kissa agreed.

"I mean, minstrels learn how to run and feats of agility, but not many can run that fast." Brock added.

"They don't make you run until you can barely stand?" Ash was concerned now.

"Oh, no, no, no-which my _senseis_, or teachers, pushed me and the other genin hard, they understood our limits." Janine assured Ash before setting a fish in the water. "Great Furuda, I come before you with terrible news..."

At first, the room was quiet, but suddenly, the fish disappeared beneath the surface of the water and the ground began to rumble as a snake-like blue dragon with what appeared to be a mane of teal fur on its head burst through the water, splattering everyone. "Janine of the Kimura clan...what brings you here to me?" the dragon asked in a booming, yet gentle voice.

"Miyakawa came under attack by an _oshidotane_, and although my friends, the other ninjas, and I all tried to drive it away, the Hikari no Shizen was taken." Janine explained as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Do not cry so, Janine-the thief that stole the Hikari did not and will not leave this cave." Furuda assured Janine. "It is still here-I can still sense it."

"Can you grant us permission to venture deeper into the caves to find it?" Ash asked.

"Now why would you, an outsider, want the Hikari?" Furuda demanded, the forcefulness of his voice knocking Ash backwards.

Ash was about to muster a reply to the blue dragon when Janine spoke up. "The mage is a friend of mine, as is the cleric and Karakashu-san."

"So they are friends?" Furuda replied. "Perhaps the disappearance of the Hikari is tied to another, but still vexing problem-I keep hearing an odd singing in the cave, yet I know not the voice..."

"What does it sing?" Dawn asked.

"Listen..." Furuda closed his eyes for a moment and began glowing with a blue aura, making a lower pitched female voice sing _Simple as can be..._ in everyone's heads for a moment.

"Is that..." Dawn gasped as Furuda's aura faded away.

"It cannot be Meroetta's voice-this voice is too low to be her." Furuda mused. "But if it's not her, then what is it?"

"Meroetta?" Ash was confused.

"The Guardian of Song, and the Pokemon that created Song Magic." Brock explained. "Any minstrel that knows Song Magic and those taught by them to use it can all trace their usage of the talent back to her-that's what Arina and Marista both told me."

"Meroetta does not choose who can wield spellsongs and who cannot by chance alone-she examines how brightly the song in your heart glows with the many colors of emotion, and blesses the hearts that shine the brightest with spellsong." Furuda explained as a nearby wall began rumbling open.

"So THAT's how it works..." Ash mused.

"Granted, I know minstrels can sing magic, and those taught by them can as well, but what about those that just love to sing? Can they learn to wield it?" Dawn asked.

Furuda sighed. "That you would have to ask Lady Meroetta-she will prove key to your finding the Hikari and restoring it to its proper place."

"Wait!" Ash asked as Furuda prepared to dive. "How will we know where Meroetta is?"

"Listen for a voice on the wind-you will know her voice when you hear it." Furuda replied. "My prayers and blessings go with you as you search for the Hikari." With that, he dove beneath the lake with another splash.

Ash raced to the stairwell that led deeper into the cave. "Come on! Let's go look for the Hikari and Meroetta!" He was about to lead the way down the stairs when suddenly, he heard a vaguely female sounding high pitched voice sing what sounded like "Oh" in the distance. "What was that?"

"Meroetta?" Dawn wondered.

"Maybe-Meroetta only communicates through song, so if you want to 'speak' to her, you'll need to sing yourself or have an instrument handy." Brock cautioned.

Ash's eyes lit up. "Pikachu, my saefleita, quickly!"

"I appriciate the enthusiasm, but why so excited about a mythical Pokemon?" Janine asked.

"My thinking is, if that voice WAS Meroetta, she will answer back when I play my own instrument." Ash explained as he accepted his saefleita from Pikachu and hung it around his neck. He then played a two part melody for Earth, with a lower pitched response for the Fire melody. After repeating the two part melody a second time for the Wind melody, his response to complete the cycle with Water was slightly higher pitched.

"Fascinating..." Janine mused.

"Mages use what's known as a saefleita to summon a companion." Dawn explained over the song. "But to summon a Legendary, you have to play a four part song that matches up to the four primal elements of earth, fire, wind, and water, in that order."

Another "oh..." echoed from below. "I'd say Meroetta has heard you, Ash." Kissa mused as she lead the group down the stairs. "The hard part is finding her once we reach the bottom..."

**To Be Continued...**


	22. The Pint Sized Problems

Episode 20: The Pint Sized Problems

_Meanwhile, in another part of the cave..._

"You sure this is the place, Asiel?" a girl in a ragged maroon blouse and skirt asked as she brushed her pale blond hair from her face. For the most part, she and her brother could have been just another pair of adventurers, barring the tiny dragon-like wings on their backs.

"Course, Takis-it's not every day that the Great Lord sends two demonlings out to capture the song spirit that lives here; or possess a minstrel's party for their first possession." the girl's brother replied as he quickly hovered out of the way of a stalagtite, being careful not to disturb the Zubats that snoozed nearby. "You've heard the stories of what happens to those that get caught up in magic songs, right?"

"Sometimes I have to wonder what the Great Kione is thinking sometimes..." Takis sighed. "But it's the party I'm worried about-Melis' defeat at their hand was the talk of the Dark Realm for weeks."

"We would be stuck back in the Dark Realm listening to Miss Topas talk about proper possession techniques over and over and over if His Greatness hadn't stepped in." Asiel cautioned as he landed behind a rock, brushing debris from a slightly ragged marroon tunic. "And what better way to impress the class than possessing a human?"

"You did great with the small Pokemon, and leveling an entire village with a Mightyena wowed the class..." Takis mused as she fluttered by her older brother's side.

"Let's not forget how you aced your small Pokemon final with the Rattata swarm..." Asiel smiled. "Humans are a bit harder than Pokemon though-they have many competing influences around their spirits. That, and there's the risk of the spirit fighting back."

"Stupid priest, kicking me out of that little girl when I almost made it inside her soul." Takis grumbled, annoyed that her first human possession had come up short.

"Well, unfortunately, we have a cleric in this party too, so the key is to not get her attention." Asiel cautioned as he spotted Ash and the others in the distance. "Here they come."

_Back with the party..._

"Oh my..." Ash gasped as he glanced around the large open room.

"Meroetta prefers wide open spaces, so if we're going to find her in a cave, this would be the sort of room to look." Brock explained as Ash walked around the room admiring the layers of ledges and odd rock formations.

Kissa froze as the sound of wingbeats fluttered in the distance. "Be on guard-I sense demons are here..."

"Huh?" Dawn glanced around the room, but saw that nothing was present except for them, a few Zubats hanging overhead, and a few sprouts intertwining around some stalagmites. "I don't see any demons..."

"Maybe this ring I found embedded in a rock would reveal them to you?" Ash offered, showing Dawn a gold ring with a roughly shield shaped ruby inside, ringed by diamonds.

Dawn smiled. "Well! Of all the places to find a Scared Ring..."

"I have heard tales of rings with shield shaped gems..." Janine mused as she led the group across a ledge. "It is said that the wearer is granted a simple _hikari_ jutsu when it is worn..."

"A simple light spell, huh?" Ash replied as he slipped the ring on his right ring finger. "Let's try this!" He aimed the ring at some rocks behind him. "Guiding light, shed magic power from above! Shine!" At this, a beam of red light went flying at the rocks, revealing Asiel and Takis looking down at the party from above.

Dawn gasped. "Kissa was right..."

"Clerics aren't the only ones that can sense those of the Dark Realm...Pokemon and other creatures can too." Brock explained as he drew his own blade. "Get ready to fight, everyone!"

"Geez, I said not to get the cleric's attention!" Asiel complained as he flew before the group, a little wobbly due to the Shine spell.

"It was the mage that gave our position away!" Takis protested, gesturing to Ash as she landed by her brother's side.

"What were you plotting here, demon?" Ash demanded, his blade inching closer to Asiel's neck.

"Easy on the neck, human...we were told to either A. capture the Song Guardian or B. possess one of you-and with all the power inside of you, you make a great target." Asiel stammered.

Ash was about to ask Asiel who the Song Guardian was when a high pitched _Oh..._ got his attention. "Huh?"

"Meroetta..." Brock gasped as a tiny fairy-like creature appeared on a flower shaped rock in the center of the room, brushing its long green music staff-like hair with a twig.

"He's distracted! Now's your chance to possess the mage!" Takis called before firing some darts from her claws in Meroetta's direction. Ash ran to block the attack, buying Ashiel time to roll backwards out of Ash's sword range and take flight himself.

"He's getting away!" Janine called as she narrowly missed Takis with a shuriken.

"Janine, Dawn-try to take the demons down from the air!" Ash suggested as he blocked more of Takis' darts with his blade.

"We'll protect Meroetta!" Brock added as he rolled out of the way of a dive attack from Asiel.

"Got it!" Janine called before heaving two shurikens at Takis and Asiel. Takis was able to evade the shuriken meant for her, but an arrow from Dawn sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Takis!" Asiel cried as his sister weakly crawled behind the rocks, clearly in pain. He gritted his teeth as he saw Meroetta was unprotected from the eastern side. "You're going to pay for hurting my sister!" he screamed before making a beeline for Meroetta's flower platform.

"NO!" Ash shot back as he threw himself before the platform, allowing Asiel to fly inside his body, creating an explosion of dark energy...

_Inside Ash's body..._

_Now where is the mage's soul?_ Asiel wondered as he skimmed over Ash's bloodstream in hopes one of them would lead to Ash's heart. A bright light in the distance revealed that he was close, so he wove through a few more arteries and veins before approaching a dull red pulsing mass. _Yes! This is his heart, all right! The soul can't be too far away!_

"Hold!" a white ghostly being that looked exactly like Ash demanded as Asiel approached. "You're not allowed in here!"

"You're the one that threw yourself in my path, so naturally I'm gonna possess you!" Asiel retorted. "Now, let me through!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" the Ash spirit replied as several more copies of it appeared and surrounded Asiel, their swords drawn...

_Back in the cave..._

"Ash..." Janine gasped as she watched Ash's body, now wreathed in purple flames, writhe on the ground in pain. "Why did you do this?"

Dawn whispered some words into her palm, surrounding her hand in a white-blue glow. "I'm going to lay a hand on him to calm him down before I attempt to cast the demon out."

"He's fighting the demon-I can tell." Kissa mused as Dawn gently laid her glowing hand on Ash's back, making him cry out in pain.

"I'm trying to help you!" Hold still!" Dawn assured Ash, narrowly avoiding being kicked as she made her way around to the other side of Ash's body, her hand on his back all the while.

"Do you know any spellsongs of healing, Karakashu-san?" Janine asked.

"I do-maybe this one will help cast the demon out." Brock began before commanding "Voice of the goddess, come and sing a song of light! Anima no Uta!" With that, he began playing his harp and singing in a language no one seemed to recognize at first.

"The holy tongue!" Dawn gasped as she saw her glowing hand glow brighter.

"Anima no Uta, or Anima's Song, allows the caster to sing in the holy tongue for a short time, usually to heal great wounds or cast out demons." Kissa explained to Janine. "It is said that even the smallest demonling fears hearing the language of the gods." She watched as her master continued to sing in the odd language for a few minutes, calming Ash's writhing body and engulfing it and Dawn's hand in rainbow light. Asiel came flying out of Ash's body some seconds later, landing with a crash behind the rocks.

"It worked!" Janine smiled as Ash eased himself to his feet.

"My head..." Ash groaned as he glanced around the cave. He could see Takis tending to Asiel behind a rock, despite being wounded herself. Judging from the burns and scratches on him, whatever Brock had cast to force Asiel out had to have been very strong, he thought.

"How did you learn that spellsong, anyway?" Janine wondered as Meroetta flew around her, grateful that Ash had allowed himself to be nearly possessed for her sake.

"Anima no Uta I learned on a previous visit to Whitespell..." Brock wheezed, still exhausted from casting the spell. "I was told never to use it except in an emergency."

"Ash almost being possessed definitely counted as an emergency, but what are we going to do about these demonlings before they decide to attack us again?" Kissa wondered.

Meroetta flew over to Dawn and formed a small ball of light in her hands. "Huh?" Dawn gasped before motioning to Brock again. "Ask Meroetta what she wants from me." Brock nodded and played a few bars of "Lady of Yoso" to Meroetta.

_Oh..._ Meroetta replied to Dawn.

"She says she wants to give you the power to sing magic, since you enjoy singing." Brock replied.

"Tell her I accept her offer and promise to use Song Magic responsibly." Dawn replied.

"I'll do it!" Ash volunteered before fishing out the Dreamer's Flute and playing "The Silver Sword". Meroetta just giggled at the "reply" and sent the ball of light flying in Dawn's direction before splitting into muiple copies of herself.

_Elsewhere, with the demonlings..._

"...and there we are." Takis smiled as she bandaged her brother's last wound.

"That mage's spirit is very strong!" Asiel complained as he weakly stood up. "I didn't expect it to fight back that hard!"

"You yourself said there's a risk of a human spirit fighting back." Takis replied. "Now, let's get that song spirit!"

Asiel gasped when he saw Dawn surrounded by what looked like hundreds of copies of Meroetta on a raised rock that overlooked the cave floor-some of them red and purple with their music staff-like hair pinned up, and a few of them identical to the real Meroetta-except they glowed with a sea green aura. "Great-NOW how are we supposed to find the real one?" he groaned a bit too loudly.

"You're not going to!" Dawn countered, catching both demonlings offguard.

"And how do you suppose you're going to do that? " Takis countered as she flew out from behind the rock.

Dawn closed her eyes. "Guard us all in lights of many colors! Dance of Light!"

There was an awkward silence as nothing appeared to happen at first. "Oo-hoo-hoo, we're so scared, Lady of Light." Asiel taunted.

Dawn just smiled before singing _Feel my strength! Feel my hope! Wonderful, powerful music!_, making a bright flash of rainbow light fill the cave.

"Hoo!" the crowd of Meroettas cried, making auras form around the rest of the group.

"Are you ready?" Dawn asked the crowd of Meroettas over the driving melody that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Yay!" the Meroetta crowd cheered.

"Here we go! 1, 2, 3!" Dawn counted off the red and purple Meroettas, which began dancing to the song.

_Magical song of the heart!_ the green and teal Meroettas sang as Ash, Brock, Kissa, and Janine rushed to engage the demonlings. _Fu Fu Fu, Fu Fu Fu...Magical song of the heart!_

_Do re mi fa, my sweet song is rising to the clouds!_ Dawn sang as Janine hurled a shuriken at Takis. _This confident tone rings out, filled with hope!_ At this, Ash lunged at Asiel, knocking him backwards. _Beautiful colors all around, hop! step! jump!_ Takis gritted her teeth and shot three darts in Brock's direction, which he dodged with a literal hop, step, and jump. _Feel power within you, giving you energy!_

"Oh, I feel power in me, all right..." Ash mused as he aimed the Sacred Ring at Asiel, who was about to scratch Kissa. "Guiding light, shed magic power from above! Shine!" Asiel howled in pain as the flash of white light enulfed him.

"Thanks!" Kissa smiled. "One down, and one to go." she mused as Takis tried to evade shurikens, light blasts from the Sacred Ring, and small rainbow crystals being conjured from a harp, which could barely be heard over Dawn's enthusiastic performance.

_We're playing melodies that are so strong, I just cannot watch!_ Dawn sang, rendering Takis' claws useless against the rainbow auras that glowed around the rest of the group. _Dancing to this rhythm! Looking ahead to the future! A challenge? Go ahead!_

"Take it on home, Dawn!" Kissa called in enouragement as she scratched Takis' left wing as she flew low to attack Ash, making her struggle to stay aloft.

_It resonates, a cheerful sound, within every one of our merry hearts!_ Dawn and the Meroetta crowd continued. _I only dream that tomorrow is filled with wonderful, powerful music! Everybody rise up and sing a magic song of the heart!_

_Magic, song of the heart!_ the Meroetta crowd concluded, engulfing Takis in a wave of green light.

"Bravo!" Janine applauded as the Meroetta crowd disappeared, leaving only the original Meroetta behind.

"Thanks...although I feel like I've ran a mile and back again." Dawn wheezed as she ran to rejoin the group.

"That's completely normal when you first keep Song Magic going a long time." Brock replied as he led the way over to an opening in the northern wall that led further down in the cave. "You'll get better as you use it more."

Ash turned to look back at Meroetta. "Thanks for everything!" he called.

_Oh?_ Meroetta replied, her song a little more wistful then before.

"She wants us to promise we will find what it is we're looking for." Brock replied before playing a prayerful melody in reply. After he played the tune through once, Ash joined in with the Dreamer's Flute, as if telling Meroetta "We will definitely find what we seek, and much more-don't you worry!"

**To Be Continued...**


	23. Hikari Reclaimed

Episode 21: Hikari Reclaimed

"Dawn?" Ash asked at the group arrived in a long skinny corridor that lead to an open space.

"What is it?" Dawn was more concerned by the odd yellow glow in the alcove at the end of the passageway.

"What did it feel like when Meroetta awakened Song Magic in you?"

"It's hard to explain...I just felt surrounded in this warm glow and then felt like I had to sing...but I want to know where the music I sang to came from."

"Meroetta is the Guardian of Song, so she can create whatever music she wants, including music we have never heard before." Kissa mused. "Likewise Ash, I want to know what compelled you to risk demonic possession back there."

"I did it because Meroetta was in danger." Ash explained. "I wanted to protect her and those that sing magic."

"You did a brave thing." Brock smiled. "I'm very proud of you." His face turned business-like again when he heard a whinny-like noise in the distance. "And I think I know what took the Hikari no Shizen." He pointed out a small deep brown horse-like creature that was intertwined around a familar katana hilt.

"THAT little thing?" Ash was surprised at the size of the small sinewy creature in relation to what it had stolen. "It could've gotten squished underneath the Hikari's weight!"

"You'd be surprised at what cappals can carry, Ash." Brock cautioned. "For now, we need to get it off the Hikari. Once it is on the ground, we need to find a way to have the Hikari brought somewhere safe."

"Hah!" Janine heaved a shuriken at the cappal, sending it falling to the floor with a plop. Kaimana then bounded over the dazed cappal and grabbed the sheathed katana before swimming off in an easterly direction down a small river.

"The gods are watching, have faith! Fight Song!" Dawn called before singing a calming melody in the holy tongue that created a red aura around the group.

"You call that a fight song?" Ash balked-he had expected Dawn to sing a rousing battle song, like heroes in stories did. What Dawn was singing sounded more like a prayer than a song meant to give them strength for battle.

Brock calling instructions snapped him back to reality. "Okay! Cappals like to attack physically instead of with spells. Despite their small size, these attacks can really hurt if you're not careful!" The cappal lashed a vine at Janine to illustrate his point.

"Hah!" Ash drew his blade and delivered a slash to the cappal's body.

"Hi Magiiro no jutsu! Flaming Pillar of Strength!" Janine commanded as the cappal lashed a vine at Ash. He circled around it, looking for another place to strike, before scrambling back behind the flaming wall. The vine pursuing him melted into the flames with a hiss.

"That was close..." Kissa mused before charging at the cappal. The cappal met her with a headbutt, sending Kissa flying against the Flaming Pillar.

"Kissa!" Brock raced over to where Kissa was shakily standing up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes...I've survived harder blows to the head before, and you know that." Kissa weakly smiled. "I may not hold up to another blow like that."

"Thank Anima you're okay..." Brock smiled as he quickly readjusted the Archmage Tiara that lay askew on Kissa's head.

"CHU!" Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt at the cappal as it tried to give Ash a similar headbutt.

"Drifting breeze, come down with fury! Blizzard!" Ash commanded as he sent a wave of ice at the cappal, rendering it helpless.

"Now's our chance!" Janine called, hurling a shuriken at the shivering cappal, defeating it just as Dawn finished singing and the Flaming Pillar disappeared.

"Yes!" Brock cried as a green bead fell down from a nearby ledge. "Raissel's Emerald was here as well..."

_Simple as can be..._ the green bead sang before appearing on the necklace thread next to Anima's Diamond.

"Is Kissa okay?" Dawn ran over to where Kissa lay on the ground and charged a blue white light in her hands.

"Sure she is...she's a tough kitten in more ways than one." Brock assured Dawn. "I'm sorry I wasn't much of a help in battle this time-if I had played, my song would have interfered with yours, since actually singing a spell requires more focus than playing a spell."

"You did fine!" Dawn assured Brock.

"You gave us advice to defeat our foe, and allowed Kaimana to take the Hikari back where it belongs." Janine replied. "That is all the help we needed from you."

"Okay then..." Brock motioned for everyone to circle around him before readying his harp to play. "Beacon of Anima, take us to Miyakawa Shrine! Time Hole!"

_Later, at the shrine..._

"Janine...words cannot express how relieved and elated we are that you have retrieved the Hikari for us." Keiji smiled as he, Koga, and a crowd watched the Hikari no Shizen being set inside a pedestal.

"I had help, Hokage-from Karakashu-san and his friends." Janine smiled as she petted Kaimana. "In fact...I want to go with them on their travels."

Gasps went up from the crowd. "You're sure you wish to travel like this?" Koga asked. "It will be a long journey..."

"You remember that Dokusentoki left on his adventures because he felt that he had to avenge his father." Janine replied as she paced the wooden floor of the shrine. "Just as he did, I feel like there is something I have to do-what it is, I don't know yet; but I'm sure I'll figure it out alongside Karakashu-san."

Koga sighed. "If this is what you wish to do, then I won't try to stop you-even when you were small, no amount of convincing could dissuade you once you had made a decision. I will care for Kaimana while you travel." he added as Janine gave Kaimana one last hug.

"Thank you all for everything." Brock replied as Janine rejoined the group.

"Return to us safely, Janine!" a girl called from the crowd.

"May the Kami watch over you on your journey!" Takuya agreed as the newly formed foursome walked down the path out of the village and into the setting sun...

**To Be Continued...**


	24. The Icy Road West

Episode 22: The Icy Road West

"Here we are...the great city of Hese." Janine smiled as the group approached two guard towers with sloped roofs before addressing the guard in the western tower. "I have been called on a journey to the outside, and wish to gather supplies here before departing." The guard nodded and waved the group through.

"Why are all the buildings with sloped roofs?" Dawn asked as she admired the many sloped roofs around her.

"Both a form of beauty and function-it promotes balance, and is excellent for taking shelter in rainy weather." Janine explained as they approached the magnificent marble temple overlooking the north side of the town square, its beacon a dull purple ball floating in the afternoon sky. "I will be in the market buying supplies..."

"And we will be inside, asking Anima for safety on our travels." Dawn assured Janine. Janine nodded and darted off into the crowds that were filling the eastern market district.

_Maybe Anima can point us towards the remaining six Beads-cause I have no idea where the others are..._ Ash asked as he admired the tapestries depicting the glyphs in the Kaiji script for the different gods that hung from the walls. While most of the god's tapestries were on the walls, Anima's tapestry was draped in the left hand of the statue of Anima, with the purple tapestry representing Dorcha, the god of the good side of darkness and Anima's lover, hanging on the wall to the statue's right.

Dawn approached the statue of Anima as the others looked on, singing a call to prayer as the boys knelt down before the statue of Anima. "Lady Anima, I come before you in the midst of a great journey...thank you for guiding us and fighting alongside us as we have searched for the Beads..." Ash whispered quietly over the song, every so often glancing up at the statue.

"...but now we don't know where to search next, so we come asking for direction and guidance." Brock added, his own prayer seemingly picking up where his companion's left off. "Send us a sign that will tell us where to travel next..."

When the song and the prayers concluded, the statue glowed with a soft white light as an image of Anima appeared in the room with them. "You have called, and I have come, bearing the information you seek." Anima smiled.

"So, where is the next bead?" Ash asked.

"Your journey now leads you to the western mountains, where there are many fears and worries coming from Chairo." Anima replied. "I have instructed Saidas, goddess of ice, to meet you on the pass and guide you through."

"What sorts of fears, my lady?" Dawn asked.

"The mayor's daughter has been stricken by a sickness the clerics there have not seen before." Anima replied. "I have stablized her for now, but if she does not get help quickly, she will succumb. The mayor will tell you more when you arrive."

"We will do what we can to get there as quickly as possible." Brock assured Anima.

"In addition, I have new spells and powers to grant you..." Anima continued, before waving her hand over the group, making Brock gain a red aura, Ash a blue aura, and Dawn a yellow aura.

"What was that?" Ash wondered.

"Since you are traveling to a cold place, I have given you two fire songs to combat the ice, ye who sings magic." Anima explained to Brock. "Next, I have given you a song that commands the four primal elements to locate something or someone for you, Sir Mage." she told Ash, who nodded in reply. "Finally, I have given you the knowledge of all creatures, so you will know the best way to fight, my lightbringer, if the minstrel cannot sing."

"Thank you, my Lady." Dawn replied. "We will use these powers well."

"May I try mine out?" Ash asked, fishing out the Dreamer's Flute from his bag as he stood up.

"You may." Anima replied.

Ash focused for a moment before calling "Four elements, reveal to me where Janine waits! Tracking Cycle!" With that, he played a playful melody down the scale for the Earth section, followed by a mystical response up the scale for the Fire section. After repeating the playful call again for the Wind section, a quiet response for Water completed the cycle, revealing Janine walking through the market crowd to the town square. "Janine's on her way back..."

"We must part for now, great lady..." Dawn mused as the group turned to leave.

"We'll tell our companion of all you have said and done!" Ash agreed as he rushed out the temple gate.

"Farewell, heroes-we will be watching over you always." Anima replied before her image faded away.

_Later that day..._

"So Anima said that our next objective was to the west?" Janine asked. "Aren't the western mountains infamous for their blizzards?"

"They are, so we need to hurry and cross them now." Brock cautioned as the group got on the road to the western pass. "And if we do get caught in blustering ice and snow, we need only ask for the aid of Saidas, the goddess of all things snow.

Janine nodded before noticing the thoughtful look on Ash's face. "Is everything well, Ash-san?"

"Yeah...I'm just curious as to who this 'Dokusentoki' is you and the other ninjas always speak of." Ash replied.

"Well, since we have a way to go before we reach the pass into the mountains, I don't see any problem with Janine telling us." Brock replied.

"Master does know a few episodes of his story, but only a ninja would be able to tell you who he was-they see him as a legendary hero." Kissa added before beckoning for Janine to begin.

"Kissa-chan is correct-he is a great ninja said to have founded Hese, which the five villages encircle." Janine explained as Pikachu claimed aboard Kissa's back. "How he got from a humble village to there encompasses numerous stories and adventures."

"You don't mind outsiders hearing his story?" Dawn asked.

"Not at all-we take pride in our heritage, and we are grateful that others want to learn more about Dokusentoki and other heroes of ours." Janine assured Dawn. "But the story does not begin happily...I will try my best to tell it, but I am not a _geshou_ like Karakashu-san by any means." After clearing her throat, she began. "As I said before, Dokusentoki was a great ninja that had many adventures before founding the great city of Hese-we believe that even now, his courage and wisdom live on through his descendants."

"No wonder everyone makes a big to do over your father." Dawn mused.

"According to our records, my grandfather's father was one of the children of Dokusentoki's sons, Chisentoki-so Father is distantly related to Dokusentoki." Janine replied. "But I am straying from the story...he lived in a small village with his father and grandmother. His father, a warrior himself, taught him many things in addition to fighting."

"Like?" Ash beckoned Janine to go on.

"History, literature, how to survive in harsh conditions, how to tell which plants in forests were safe to eat, how to speak to Pokemon, art, music, science, and smithing, to name but a few." Janine replied. "One day, his father went out to help guide a hunting party through the plains, as he often did. But the hunters saw his many medallions, pelts, and feathers; and desired to have them for themselves. So that afternoon, as his father rested under a tree, they ambushed him and killed him."

"Rrrgh..." Ash growled, appalled that someone had the gall to murder someone's father in cold blood.

"His grandmother was understandably devastated, and after the funeral rites were complete, she vowed to continue teaching Dokusentoki all she could, so that son could avenge father." Janine continued.

"I hope those...those..." Ash sputtered, trying to think of the words to describe the hunters in Janine's tale. "...FIENDS got what they deserved!"

"Easy, Ash...it's just a story." Dawn assured Ash as she laid a hand on Ash's heaving chest in an attempt to calm his anger.

"Some months later, Dokusentoki's grandmother instructed him to bring her the Raikou pelt that his father had hung over a wire on that fateful day." Janine continued, unfazed by Ash's anger. "She then used the fine pelt to make him a tunic and leggings, and taught him to run as swiftly as a Raikou, and swim as fast as Kyorge. Hunting season came not long after this, and the party that had slain Dokusentoki's father came to the plains, eager to capture the many Sawsbucks that roamed there."

"And then?" Ash asked, noticably calmer.

"Dokusentoki's grandmother saw them as well, and instructed her grandson to swim across the river and run past where the Sawsbucks were approaching the river-this way, they would think him a Raikou on the hunt, and chase him." Janine paused to sit down on a rock by the road and massage her aching right foot.

"You're doing wonderfully so far...what happened next?" Brock urged Janine to continue as he sat down by a nearby tree to rest.

"Sure enough, the hunters thought Dokusentoki was a Raikou trying to steal a Sawsbuck, and hurried to their boats to chase him." Janine continued, massaging her foot all the while. "Dokusentoki was ahead of them, running swiftly on one bank, before jumping across to the other with all the speed and grace of a Raikou. Finally, just as the hunters started to catch up to him, Dokusentoki cried out to the sky-a signal for his grandmother to cast a ikaze/i jutsu. While what jutsu she used is not known, it was strong enough to cause waves on the river and capsize the boats, making all inside drown. But Dokusentoki was not satisfied with having his father avenged-there had to be even more that had suffered as he had, and they needed to be helped. So with his grandmother's blessing, Dokusentoki gathered his few belongings and set out onto the plains, searching for people in need. He did not know of the many adventures that were soon to come."

Dawn applauded. "Talk about starting off with a bang!"

"Bravo!" Ash agreed as he applauded.

"If that one tale was enough to anger you-most episodes of the cycle are like that." Janine warned as she hopped off the rock and led the way down the road.

Ash blushed. "I'm sorry...it's just that I tend to get angry when someone suffers unfairly like that, even if it is a character in a story."

"I can see you have a strong sense of justice, but there are times when even the fire must be tempered." Janine cautioned as the group approached a small hill as the sun dipped below a cloudy sky.

"This is it...the Western Pass." Brock smiled as he lead the way over the hill and onto a steep trail that wound around rocks at every turn. That, and snow was beginning to fall, though it was not falling hard enough to warrant a blizzard.

"I only hope we're not delayed on our journey to Chairo by snow." Ash grumbled as he wrapped his cloak around him to shield himself from the snow falling around him. He seethed at how calmly Kissa was walking through the cold for a moment. _She has her own built in coat, and I'm stuck in a cloak..._

Janine noticed Ash shivering. "If you are cold, I can lend you one of my extra fur mantles I keep for cold like this."

"Please do." Ash replied, allowing Janine to drape a large mantle over his back.

"How did the weather get so cold so quickly?" Dawn asked as she dug a fur cloak from her bag.

"Rest assured, I would never send snow to torment you..." came a young female voice, which materialized into a young woman clad in a magnificent blue, white and purple armored bodice with a long flowing deep blue and purple skirt hiding a layer of chain underneath. "I am Saidas, Guardian of Ice-Anima informed me you were on your way through the mountains and bade me to protect you from the blizzards that rage in these lands."

"Can you tell us how far to Chairo?" Ash pleaded. "Or where we can take shelter just in case we are stranded?"

"Chairo isn't far from where we are-but I can't guarantee that the icy spirits here will hold back." Saidas cautioned before engraving something inside a a layered rock that looked like a musical staff. "If you are stranded here, play this song to summon my envoy." Once sure that the group could see the cryptic tableture, she continued. "In addition, I sense a newcomer to your party awaiting you in Chairo-you'll know more when you get there." With that, she disappeared in the swirling snow that was beginning to pick up.

Ash sighed-why was it that gods had to be so vague?

**To Be Continued...**


	25. Snowbound under the Stars

Interlude: Snowbound Under the Stars

Dawn shivered as a blast of wind ruffled her cloak. "Cold..."

"But Chairo i-is not far from h-here!" Ash urged, trying all the while to hide the fact that it was cold, and the snow was beginning to pile up around them.

"Just summon Saidas' envoy-we're all cold, and have no desire to brave heavy snow." Kissa grumbled as she shook a layer of snow from her fur.

Ash sighed, took his saefleita, and reluctantly played a mournful melody that was nearly lost in the howling wind. He had been wanting to sleep in a warm bed somewhere, but the snow was accumulating quickly, making the trail to Chairo more and more hazardous.

Just then, he heard a bird's cry and gasped as a large blue-white bird with a flowing tail landed before him. "You have called, and Articuno and I have come." Saidas assured him as she stepped off of Articuno and molded a safe path through the swirling snow.

Brock was about to thank Saidas when a twang of a broken string got his attention, so Janine offered a pale blue stone to Saidas. "Please accept this icy gem as our thanks for your guidance, O Snow Queen."

"The pleasure's all mine-we would never dream of sitting idly by while mortals were in danger." Saidas replied as she took the gem. "I will go on ahead and clear a path for you-follow Articuno to the place I have prepared.

"We'll meet you there!" Dawn assured Saidas as Articuno took flight into the gray sky.

_Later..._

"There now, you'll be safe in here..." Saidas smiled as Articuno led the group to a cave in an alcove not far from the trail to Chairo.

"Beats all that blowing snow by far!" Ash smiled as he began arranging some sticks into a campfire pattern.

"I will do my best to make sure you can pass to Chairo in the morning-but for now, I'm afraid you won't be going any farther." Saidas sighed as everyone groaned. Articuno gave one last chirp before taking off into the snowy night with Saidas aboard her.

"And we came all this way, too..." Janine sighed as the cave entrance rolled closed.

"It's not an inn, but it's better than freezing to death." Dawn mused. "At least in an inn, Brock would perform for meals for all of us..."

"Come to think of it, I vaguely remember seeing Brock perform before..." Ash mused as he charged a ball of red energy. Once the fire roared to life, he continued. "It was the night before Ourania's Grand Market last year...Milina had brought me and a few apprentices there to see it."

"Oh, come to think of it, I remember you!" Brock laughed. "I was there at the inn that night, and I told 'The Tree with Magic Leaves' to begin my performance. You really got into that-you booed the tax collector and got everyone else involved in booing..."

"Not to mention you laughed when I played the role of the tax collector's wife..." Kissa added.

"That, and you requested 'Sorin's Flight'." Brock concluded as he began roasting some meat over the fire.

"Yeah-Milina had to squeeze my hand after I stuck out my tongue at the tax collector." Ash laughed. "That was her signal for me to calm down and behave."

"You must have had plenty of energy to keep your isensei/i on her toes..." Janine smiled.

"Well..." Ash mused as he glanced up at the small crack in the cave ceiling that exposed a little bit of night sky. "I grew up in Masuliro Town, and was always exploring the woods and plains by my house. So while my dad made weapons and Mom cleaned house, I was climbing trees or running through town having 'adventures' with my friends."

"How did you find out you had magical power?" Dawn asked.

"It was a total accident-I casted Ice without knowing I had done anything untill I noticed that one of my mother's vases was frozen." Ash replied. "You know the song 'The Prayer of the Sword?'"

"The one in which a hero's parents plot to kill him, but the hero discovers the plot after praying to Anima?" Dawn asked.

"That's the one-not an easy one to play, and not easy for a tenor to sing either." Brock interjected. "One verse involves the phrase 'Scatter your chilly sharp blades...'"

"...which is the same incantation to Ice." Ash continued. "I was singing that song, and I froze my mother's vase when I got to that line."

"Were you punished?" Janine was worried now.

"Not really-Mom and Dad took me to the mage's lodge, where I had to cast Ice again in front of the Archmage. When I successfully did it again, the archmage offered me a chance to study magic. I accepted, and with my family's blessing, I became a mage's apprentice." Ash concluded.

"Speaking of songs, I could use one to cheer us all up." Dawn grumbled-she had not counted on being snowbound in the mountains.

"A lot of songs you know seem to involve the Kami..." Janine mused.

"Well, in addition to hymns, we clerics also learn secular songs involving the gods-and I've picked up some from the minstrels that visited the temple." Dawn explained.

"Ooh, sing your call to prayer again!" Ash begged as Brock retrieved his bag and began looking for his instruments.

"Why? What do we need to pray for?" Dawn wondered.

"Pray for...Brock to have some inspiration!" Ash suggested. "A call to the muses, if you will."

"And to bless my instruments so they aren't out of tune." Brock winced as he unearthed his newly repaired harp and began tuning it.

Dawn closed her eyes and began singing the prayer call she had sang in the temple, making the various instrument cases gain a light blue aura.

"Try playing now..." Kissa suggested when Dawn finished. "Your instruments should sound just fine."

"All right...any requests?" Brock asked as he reached for his harp.

Ash thought for a moment. "Play...'The Love of a Priest', please."

"Why that one?" Dawn protested. "It's much too bawdy for this time of night!"

"Dawn's right-that one's better suited for a tavern than an intimate gathering of friends." Brock agreed. "But if you REALLY want me to play it..."

"If it's about disgracing one of the Kami's priests, I have no desire to hear it." Janine cautioned.

"Ash, I'm surprised you even LIKE bawdy songs like that!" Dawn fumed.

"The version I learned was clean!" Ash protested.

"Relax...there are a few 'clean' versions of that song, but Dawn has a point-the original is not appropriate for times like this." Brock assured the others, dissapating the impending arguement. "Besides, I know many more songs besides that one."

Ash thought some more. "How about 'Braviary's Flight'?"

"Now that I can play." Brock replied before beginning a brisk melody. _Soaring through the rising sun, the champion of the skies..._

_His wings so large, beautiful and strong..._ Dawn joined in. The four friends sang the tale about Braviary guiding a knight on a quest and other songs all through the night, their voices harmonizing on the icy wind outside...

**To Be Continued...**


	26. An Aura of Ice

Episode 23: An Aura of Ice

"I am so glad to be out of that cave!" Ash smiled as he lead the way out of the cave the next morning and onto the miraculously cleared trail.

"Likewise, I am glad my shelter served you well for a night." Saidas replied as she landed before the group aboard Articuno.

"It wasn't the best accommodations in the world, but we made the most of it." Dawn assured Saidas as she wrapped her cloak around her.

"Can you tell us anything about where your Bead is?" Ash asked as the group started down the trail. Saidas and Articuno led the way, then Ash followed with Brock by his side. The girls were behind them, with the Pokemon bringing up the rear.

"The mayor of Chairo can grant you access to the icy caves that lie within the Frosty Forest." Saidas explained. "I left my Aquamarine there to further deter demons from trying to take it-if they didn't succumb to the cold first, they would lose their way in the forest."

"But didn't Anima say that the mayor's daughter is sick?" Dawn asked.

"That is correct-and he will not grant anyone access to the caves until she is cured." Saidas replied before preparing to take off. "This newcomer will help you find a cure." With that, she motioned to Articuno, who soared off into the pallid blue sky.

Ash shielded his eyes from the sun for a moment before noticing some wisps of smoke in the distance. "We're not too far-I can see the smoke from the chimneys."

"I'll be so glad to be out of this snow and inside an inn!" Dawn heaved a sigh of relief as she followed the boys around a corner and down a path lightly dusted with snow into town.

"Charming..." Janine mused as she admired the sturdy wooden houses lining the path.

"Milina told me once that the houses of Chairo are reinforced with enchanted stone to lend them extra strength in the harsh cold." Ash noted, pointing out a small stone tightly embedded between the wooden planks of a house.

"We're approaching the inn." Brock noted as the group walked into the town square, where a steady stream of people were criss-crossing between the various shops. Some children were nearby the well building a snowman, paying no heed to the group of travelers headed for the inn nestled between the general store and the smith's shop at the west end of the square.

Dawn was first to enter the inn, where the aroma of cinnamon filled the air. "Mm...smells good in here..."

"I'm glad-we're making cinnamon bread, Lady of Light." the innkeeper replied as he set a loaf of bread out to cool. "I have some slices already prepared, if you want any."

Janine found a plate of sliced cinnamon bread on a table in the northwest corner on the room and gingerly took a bite. "Hm...very chewy and sweet..."

"Reminds me of Mom's baking at home." Ash agreed as he took a slice of the swirled bread, warily eyeing the red haired girl clad in royal blue armor seated at the counter. "In addition to bread, she would back cookies, pies, and all kinds of sweet treats."

"My mom baked as well, but it is her cinnamon bread I remember most." Dawn replied before biting into a slice of the warm bread. "This bread is very close to her recipe."

"You must have traveled far..." the innkeeper continued as he slid another pan of dough in the oven. "Wherever your journey leads you, we're grateful you decided to stop here...name's Kellan, by the way."

"Pleased to meet your aquaintence, Kellan." Brock replied as Kellan came to meet them. "In return for your bread and hospitality, would it be acceptable for me to share a few tales and tunes?"

Kellan's eyes lit up when he saw the emblem of Amhran Hall that was stamped on Brock's harp case. "Of course-it's not often that minstrels travel all the way out here. Do well and you can have all the bread you wish."

"Before I begin, I would like to introduce myself and my companions." Brock continued as he took his harp from its case and started to tune. "I am Sir Brock of Hopea, and this is my companion, Kissa." Kissa gently nuzzled Kellan and purred as a servant girl spread a rug on the floor by Brock's chair and set a bowl of milk on it.

"Made an archmage happy enough to give you speech, did you?" Kellan laughed as he admired Kissa's tiara.

"I didn't-it was my master that pleased the Archmage of Miranai." Kissa giggled, slightly embarrassed.

Ash took another slice of bread from the plate before beginning "I am Ash of Masuliro, good sir-third year of the Seventh Raikou."

"Dawn of Whitespell-Bowmaster of Anima." Dawn smiled as she set her bow and quiver by her chair.

"I am Janine of the Kimura clan of Miyakawa Village." Janine replied before giving Kellan a polite bow.

"Pleased to meet all of you." Kellan smiled before calling to the patrons and those entering the inn "Hear ye, friends! A minstrel from Hopea has braved the mountain's chill to share his skill and warm our hearts this afternoon."

The red haired knight balked at the mention of Hopea. _Could it be? Nah, it couldn't-I'll listen and find out for myself if this is the same minstrel..._

Brock acknowledged his applause, took his harp as he got up from his chair, and began to play his familiar introduction, making a smile creep across the knight's face. _There's his introduction song...now to see how well he weaves a tale._

"My first tale for you comes from the five ninja villages." Brock began. "It is a tale of a young maid captured by a fearsome dragon-which kind depends on which of the villages you visit-and how her brother rescues her with an unusual weapon..."

"Is he telling 'The Little Gold Flute'? Dawn gasped, excited.

"Sounds like it..." Ash agreed. A wry smile formed on his face as he fished out the Dreamer's Flute and laid it on the floor by another table-if Brock WAS telling that story, he would be more than happy to provide the sound for the titular instrument!

"I would be honored to play a role myself." Janine added as she heard the crowd cheer in response to Brock's request to tell the tale.

Once sure he had the crowd's attention and all was quiet, Brock began. "It is said that long ago, in a place far from here, there lived a mother and her daughter. Since the daughter loved the color red very much, she was named Akaiko, which means 'red child'. One day, as they worked in the fields, a great Charizard flew down from the sky and snatched Akaiko in his claws." He played a downward glissando to illustrate this. "Akaiko's last words to her mother as she was carried away were..."

"Mother, my mother, so dearest to me, someday my brother will come rescue me..." Janine interjected as Akaiko.

"I have lost my only child..." Dawn sighed as the mother over a sad interlude from Brock. "Who could this brother be?"

"Some time passed, and the mother had a second child, a son." Brock continued over his song. "The child was born looking up at the sky in wonder, so he was named Aozora, or 'blue sky'. The mother wished for Aozora to rescue his sister, but couldn't bear to give her son such a dangerous quest. So, for many years, she locked herself in her room and wept late into the night." As he finished the interlude, he continued "But one day, a Murkrow happened to land by a window and said to her..." He switches to a gravely voice reminiscent of a Murkrow. "Your sister's suffering way out there! Weeping in that Charizard's lair! Ruby red stains upon her back, digging up rocks with hands so bare!" The crowd roared with laughter at this for a moment. As himself, Brock continued "Aozora happened to overhear this, and asked his mother..."

"Is it true I have a sister?" Ash filled in Aozora's line.

"You speak true..." Dawn replied. "Because she loved the color red so much, she was called Akaiko, the red child. That evil Charizard who has slain so many took her from me ten years ago."

"Aozora took up a large stick..." Brock continues, prompting Ash to pick up a long stick by the table. "and said..."

"I'm going to slay that Charizard, and save my sister!" Ash triumphantly declared in character as Aozora. "Then he will never harm our land again!" He slams the stick on the floor to prove his point, prompting some applause from the crowd.

_Very clever of him to get his traveling companions involved!_ the knight smiled as she watched the unfolding performance. _This is definitely the minstrel I remember!_

"Aozora left early the next morning, and walked for many miles." Brock continues as Ash walked around the room for a moment. "As he wound around a mountain road, he saw a large rock blocking the way-and if he didn't remove it, it would mean a potentially deadly fall." At this, Ash stopped walking and examined an imaginary rock. "He thrust his stick under the rock and pushed with all his might..." Ash pretended to push against something heavy. "but his stick broke with a snap!" He played a loud jarring chord to mimic something breaking, allowing Ash to discretely return the stick to its proper place. "Then, Aozora picked up the rock, and threw it into a ravine with all his strength." Brock narrates as Ash picked up the imagined rock and tosses it away. "When Aozora looked in the place where the rock had been, he saw a tiny gold flute." Ash picked up the Dreamer's Flute, which is now lying by his feet. "So after examining it for a moment, he picked it up and blew a single clear note..." At this, Ash blew a single high D note. "He tried a few more notes..." Ash started going up the D major scale. "before trying to play a tune. No sooner had he begun playing, did all the Pokemon of the mountain come to listen and dance to the little flute."

Pikachu danced out onto the floor as Ash performed a quick reel. "But as soon as Aozora stopped playing..." Ash finished his song to some applause. "the Pokemon stopped dancing." Brock waited as Pikachu retreated to a chair by Kissa's rug before going on. "Aozora took the little flute with him, and continued on his way. Before long, he came to the Charizard's cave high on the mountain. While the Charizard was sleeping, the sheer number of human and Pokemon bones nearby were a testament to how many others had tried to save Akaiko and failed." The crowd murmured as Brock goes on. "Aozora also saw a familiar girl in red hammering away at the rock, with tears streaming down her face." Janine got on her knees and pretended to hammer at some rock while feigning sadness. "Although the girl wanted to cry out very much, if she ever did so, the Charizard would burn her with his flaming tail and scold her, saying..." He switched to a deep gravelly voice for the Charizard. "Ungrateful, loathsome Mistress Red! Since with me you will not wed, day by day, rock by rock, carve for me a handsome cave, or else I'll send you to your grave!" Gasps went up from the crowd-even the knight swallowed hard in fear as Brock continued "Aozora recognized the girl as his sister, Akaiko, and so he charged into the cave and shouted..."

"Wicked monster, Evil fiend! For torturing my sister so!" Ash announced as he strolled into the center of the room to some cheers. "Till your wretched life shall end..." he warned, retrieving the Dreamer's Flute from his pocket. "On this flute I shall blow and blow!" With that, he started another reel.

Brock continued over the music "Aozora then began to play the little flute, and the Charizard danced in spite of himself." Laughter filled the air as the crowd pictured a Charizard dancing to the lively melody. "Akaiko, meanwhile, abandoned her chiesel and hurried outside to watch." Janine ran over to another part of the room. "Aozora continued to play, and the Charizard continued to dance-the faster Aozora played, the faster the Charizard danced." The crowd laughed as Ash sped up his reel. "Akaiko came close to Aozora, wishing to speak to her brother, but she was very aware that if Aozora stopped playing, the Charizard would eat them both." Janine walked up by Ash's side and waved to get his attention, but Ash waved her away as he finished his tune. "Finally the Charizard pleaded..." He then heaves in character "Human, I see that you are stronger! Play no more, torture me no longer! I will send the girl home if you just leave me alone!" As himself, he continued as he played along with Ash. "Yet Aozora did not stop playing. As he played, he led the Charizard to a great lake. The Charizard fell into the water with huge splash, making the water level rise several feet. He again pleaded with Aozora..." As the Charizard again, he pleads "Human, I said that you were stronger! Let me stay inside this pond, and torture folk no longer!" as Ash finished his second tune. "Aozora replied..."

"Evil fiend, this is my bargain..." Ash intoned as Aozora. "Stay at the bottom of the lake, and never do harm again."

"With that, the Charizard sank to the bottom of the lake..." Brock continued. "Aozora took Akaiko by the hand..." Ash and Janine held hands. "and set out for home. They had not gotten very far when they heard splashing from the lake." Ash and Janine look behind them and feign fear. "The Charizard emerged from the lake, determined to kill the both of them."

"And then what happened, Sir Minstrel?" the knight asked after a few tense seconds of silence.

"Akaiko cautioned..." Brock continued.

"You go deep when digging a well, and you pull up roots when plowing a field, but while that Charizard lives, to kind ways he will not yield." Janine filled in the dialogue.

"Aozora raced back to the lake's shore, playing the little flute all the while..." Brock continues, prompting Ash to play yet another reel. "He played for seven days and nights, until the Charizard's body came floating back to him." Ash concluded this tune to some applause. "Sister and brother returned home, Aozora carrying the Charizard's corpse in his arms." Ash walked up to Dawn with Janine and pretended to offer something to Dawn. "When the mother saw her two children returning, she smiled with great joy, and ran to embrace them." Some "Aww"s go up from the crowd as Dawn hugs Ash and Janine. "They used the Charizard's scales and bones to build a house..." Janine, Ash, and Dawn mimiced picking off scales and building. "and the Charizard's teeth as plowshares...and using these plowshares, they never went hungry again." Janine, Ash and Dawn mimiced digging in dirt. "Yet Aozora kept the little flute with him, just in case he needed its song again." Ash added a little flourish on his instrument before Brock interjected "The end."

The knight got up from her seat as the crowd cheered and coins rained into Brock's harp case. "It is you! The same minstrel I heard while passing through Kesara last summer!"

"I remember you too, Lady Knight-I tried begging for food from your plate." Kissa giggled as the knight stooped down to pet her.

"As do I-your laughter was the heartiest when I told 'The Boastful Suitor'." Brock smiled as he began counting the coins that had showered inside his harp case. "You never got the chance to introduce yourself, if memory serves..."

"I am Dame Misty de Juras, a water Aura Knight serving Mavi." the knight replied. "A pleasure to meet you all."

"Well, what brings you to this icy place, Lady Knight?" Dawn asked as she helped Brock count coins.

"I came searching for the three others in my training squadron, who were captured by eisfay." Misty replied. "While my superiors at home presume them dead, I have faith that they are somewhere in Yoso, alive. I was hoping the mayor of this place would help me out, but I can't go into the ice caves to look for eisfay until his daughter is cured."

"Likewise, Lady Knight, we were hoping to search the ice caves for one of the Beads of the Elements." Brock started as he showed Misty the necklace thread where Anima's Diamond and Raissel's Emerald hung.

"What do you know of the sickness the mayor's daughter suffers from, Misty-sama?" Janine wondered.

"The healers of the town have managed to develop a healing potion, but lack one crucial ingredient that grows in the forest." Misty replied. "That, and the mayor's going bonkers wondering why he keeps hearing someone singing inside the ice caves..."

"Then why don't we work together?" Ash suggested.

"Huh?" Everyone turned to look at Ash, confused.

"We help the knight find any information about her comrades, and in return, she helps us through the ice caves." Ash explained, nervously hoping that Misty would find his proposal enticing.

"A wonderful idea." Kissa mused.

Misty thought for a moment. "Your proposal is sound, but before I accept, I want to see how well you all work as a team by helping the healers out-of course, I will come along to help you."

"Deal!" Ash smiled as he and Misty shook hands.

**To Be Continued...**


	27. The Blue Star

Episode 24: The Blue Star

"So, what exactly are we looking for in the forest?" Ash asked as Misty met the group inside a room in the inn later that evening.

"And what is the mayor's daughter suffering from?" Dawn agreed.

"She appears to be stricken by a flu-like malady accompanied by severe headache, according to the chief healer." Misty explained. "They have a potion almost ready, but they lack an herb popularly known as 'the blue star' that grows in the forest around here."

"I think they mean a plumen plant-a type of mint known to thrive in cold places." Ash explained. "Milina Tonjine was my mentor at the lodge-she taught me a lot about herbs and other ingredients found in potions."

"I have heard she is a fine herbalist, and her potions are as renowned as her spells and her wisdom." Misty replied. "Did she tell you anything more?"

"Plumen is called 'the blue star' because of its blue tinged star-shaped leaves." Ash continued. "But it's actually the flower or fruit that you want-the flower has a very strong scent, so the oil is often used to flavor candy and desserts, in perfume, and to ease allergies. The fruit, meanwhile, is used to heal the flu and similar sicknesses."

"Best consumed by themselves or in a potion of healing." Dawn added. "I too know a little about healing herbs...

"It's settled, then!" Janine got up from her chair. "We search for this herb in the forest and bring it to the healers immediately!"

"I appriciate your enthusiasm, Lady of Kaiji, but the Frosty Forest is named as such for a reason." Misty cautioned. "It is extremely cold, particularly at night."

"The knight has a point." Ash agreed, gesturing to the darkening sky outside. "We would have better luck if we set out in the morning."

"That's right...Marista once told me that those that ventured into the Frosty Forest at night rarely returned alive." Brock noted.

"Oh THAT'll help us sleep soundly, Mr. Spoony Bard." Misty sighed as she got up from the table.

"Who are YOU calling spoony?" Brock shot back as he jumped up from his chair and ran down the hall to catch up with Misty. "I have trained under some of the best minstrels in all Yoso, and you have the gall to call me spoony when you have seen my skill firsthand?"

"Well, I will say this-you are far than spoony. In fact, you're way better than the minstrels at home in Mavi." Misty replied, calming Brock down a little. "Not only are they usually flat and way out of tune, they forget lyrics and stories on a regular basis. Hearing one as skilled as you was and is a treat in my eyes."

"I'm glad you think so, but why did you call me spoony back there when you now say I am not?" Brock asked, confused.

"You could say I am known for my wit-and I have gotten scolded for my droll sarcasm before." Misty replied. "It's a hard habit to break, so I may unleash a witty comment when I don't mean to."

"There is a time and a place for wit, but please be careful with your words." Brock sighed, now in a slightly better mood.

"Yes...words can sting as much as a blade." Dawn agreed.

"Can we change the subject?" Ash interjected as the group entered their room. "Or discuss something a little more pleasant?"

"Okay, then; Sir Mage...what would you like to talk about?" Misty asked as she stepped behind a screen to change for the night.

"How were your comrades taken by eisfay?"

Misty's face saddened as she emerged from behind the screen some moments later. "You know that eisfay are fairy-like bugs that live in cold places, yes?"

"Yes-and they are strong enough to carry even a human to their nest." Ash replied.

"Well, we were in the great forest that links Raben, Ourania, and Kesara together, searching for an herb to cure our master, who had been wounded while searching for a rogue Salamence." Misty explained as she sat down on her bed. "It had been two days since we began our search, and this particular day was looking to be no different. Just as we were about to return to our camp for the night, we were enveloped in the pale blue fog of a swarm of eisfay we had inadvertently disturbed."

"Oh no..." Dawn swallowed hard.

"Try as we might to fight off the swarm, I saw my three companions trying to ward off the eisfay through the fog-well, all I could see were the flashes of red, yellow, and green of their armor as they cast their spells."

"So why didn't you help?" Brock wondered as he settled on a bed with his harp.

"One, the fog the eisfay were creating was quite thick, so it was a miracle I could even see the aura energy in their armor, and two, there were just too many for even the four of us to battle." Misty replied as she brushed away a tear. "By the time the fog had cleared enough for me to see anything, the eisfay were gone, and my comrades with them. So to recap, there was nothing I could've done to save them, even though I wanted-and still want-to save them."

"You have an admirable goal indeed." Dawn assured Misty. "But there is still the chance they have been lost..."

"I acknowledge that may be true, but even if they have been killed, I will not rest until I either find them alive, or bring their bodies home for a proper burial." Misty mused as more tears began forming in her eyes.

"Play a song of assurance for Lady Misty." Ash whispered to Brock as Misty began to softly cry. Brock nodded and began a hopeful melody, as if to tell the sobbing knight "It's okay...we will do anything in our power to help you, even if we must go to the ends of the world."

**To Be Continued...**


	28. The Harmony of Power

Episode 25: The Harmony of Power

"Wake up..." a female voice assured Ash. He rolled over and noticed Kissa looking back at him. "Today we explore the Frosty Forest..."

"That, or you can train your powers here in town..." Brock agreed as he joined Kissa in the room.

"There's someone that can train magic here?" Ash asked, excited. If the Frosty Forest was anything like what Misty had told him the previous night, he wanted to be prepared. "What sorts of spells does he teach?"

"Any spell you like, provided you're willing to work hard to learn." Brock replied. "The girls have gone on ahead to scout out the forest and gather supplies, so I'm keeping watch until they return."

Kissa dropped a small piece of paper into Ash's hands. "Lady Misty has left a message telling you more about the mage that lives here."

Ash raised an eyebrow, unfolded the paper, and began reading:

_The mage that lives here in Chairo, Ardan Fanamar, was a fellow apprentice of your mentor, Milina Tonjine. While she stayed behind at the lodge to teach more apprentices, Ardan set out to make a name for himself. While he spends most of his time training his own skills or teaching others the way of the mage, he has also written several books about the places he visited on his travels-so he may have information about our quest._

_I hope you'll tell me what you learn when I return this evening._

_Until then,_

_Misty_

A smile began forming on Ash's face as he glanced at the roughly drawn map on the back, folded up the note, and put it away. "I'm going to pay a visit to Sir Fanamar and see what spells I can learn." Brock nodded and waved goodbye as Ash gave Pikachu a hug, then disappeared down the hallway.

_Later that morning..._

"Hello?" Ash called as he approached a spacious looking cabin on the southern side of town, while it didn't really stand out too much from the other log cabins in Chairo, the only clue that the cabin's owner was someone important were the small banners fluttering in the cold yet calm breeze-the yellow one hanging from the left depicting the sign of Anima, and the purple one on the right the sign of Dorcha. i For without light, there is no darkness, and without darkness, no light./i Ash mused as he walked up to the cabin's stoop and hestantly knocked at the door.

"Who's there?" a male voice asked.

"A fellow mage seeking knowledge." Ash replied, swallowing the lump in his throat all the while.

The door opened, revealing a man clad in a majestic royal blue robe. Although the man's muscular frame and wry smile seemed to comfort Ash a little, the swaths of gray in the man's otherwise black hair testified to his age. "What brings you all the way to my icy abode, Ash of Asimiro?"

Ash gasped. "How...how do you know my name?"

"The spirits of light keep me informed of the goings on in the world...even here, in this cold and remote place where few venture-nothing escapes the wary ear of a great mage." the man replied as he motioned for Ash to follow him inside. "You came seeking knowledge from Ardan Fanamar, and knowledge you will receive."

Ash nodded and followed Ardan inside, past intricately carved furniture and a large stone fireplace before entering into what Ash assumed was Ardan's study or library, judging from the many books on the shelves. He wondered what sorts of information were contained in the books as he took a seat at a large table facing Ardan.

Ardan speaking snapped him out of his awed admiration of the books. "Now then...I have heard you wish to cure the mayor's daughter, Lera?"

"Yes-we have been told the final ingredient to the potion that will heal her lies within the Frosty Forest." Ash explained. "The rest of my companions are already there scouting it out."

"It is fortunate they have chosen to enter the forest early in the morning-the stronger creatures do not come out until evening, and snow does not fall untill afternoon." Ardan replied before spotting the Dreamer's Flute peeking from Ash's bag. "That is a gift from a minstrel, I presume?"

"Not just any minstrel, Sir Ardan-one with the rare gift of singing magic." Ash replied befor taking the Flute from its sleeve. "I have learned to sing magic a little in return for my service."

He was about to name a spell and perform when he heard Ardan call "Ancient light, rise and revive! Wall!", enclosing the entire room in a sparkling greenish blue wall, similar to what the clerics at Whitespell had done to hold back the couerl. "There-now we can cast all the spells we want for a while without harming my library or ourselves."

"Okay...holy fire, rend through the coldness of evil! Crimson Claw!" Ash commanded before launching into "The Silver Sword", making small arrow-like flames fly in all directions, only to die out with a hiss if they impacted the Wall.

Ardan applauded. "Impressive-whoever has taught you how to sing magic has taught you well...but perhaps you would like to strengthen your spells? The Forest has many creatures a Fire spell alone cannot defeat-so the spell Fira is more effective. However, these stronger spells take more strength than the ones you have been casting before-so be careful not to overdo it."

"Teach me Fira, at least!" Ash begged as he returned his instrument to its sleeve-the prospect of new spells sounded exciting!

"Very well-I will teach you three of them to start." Ardan replied. "The basic elementals-Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara. You have seen Thundara before-so can you recreate it for me?"

_That's right! Anima casted Thundara back in Sindura!_ Ash smiled as he began charging a ball of electrical energy. _Now what did She say to cast it?_ He thought for a moment, before gasping in horror as the energy ball went flying, impacting the Wall in an explosion of thunderbolts.

"You waited too long to command the energy, and so it flew elsewhere." Ardan explained. "Try again, and focus on remembering the spell's command."

Ash sighed, closed his eyes, and focused on creating another energy ball. _Anima, what did You say to smite a man back in Sindura?_ he frantically prayed. He knew he had the power to cast the spell, but the incantation escaped him! He stayed the spell in desperation and covered his face to hide the tears streaming down his face. _Why now? Why do I not remember the incantation when I want so much to learn a new spell?_

"What's the matter?" Ardan asked, concerned by Ash's tears.

"I know the spell, and I have the power to do it, but I don't remember the command..." Ash explained before wiping away tears.

"Calm yourself." Ardan assured him before conjuring a hankerchief for Ash to dry his tears. "I see you have the will to cast the spell and the strength to do it, but without our commands to guide the magic, it will not take form. So repeat this: Heavenly bolts, bring divine justice."

"Heavenly bolts, bring divine justice..." Ash mused before the lightbulb went off in his head. _This is it! This is the incantation Anima said!_ Inspired, he quickly charged a large ball of electrical energy. "Heavenly bolts, bring divine justice! Thundara!"

"Very good!" Ardan smiled at the streaks of lightning impacted and fizzled out on the Wall. "I knew jogging your memory would do the trick...are you ready to learn Fira and Blizzara?"

"You bet!" Ash smiled-he was eager to return to his friends and tell them about Ardan-and show off his new powers as well.

**To Be Continued...**


	29. Warming the Spirit

Interlude: Warming the Spirit

So? What did you learn from Master Ardan?" Misty asked as the group met in the inn's common room that night.

"I learned three new spells-Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara." Ash replied before charging a red ball of energy. "Starfire, awake and-!"

"Sea wind, attack with water's power!" Misty commanded, making the swirls in her armor glow blue. "Sapphire Tornado!"

"Yipe!" Ash quickly stayed his spell and dove under a table in an attempt to avoid the whirlwind of water and sapphires that roared in his direction, only to emerge dripping wet some seconds later.

"So THAT's why you are called an aura knight..." Janine gasped. "You channel the _chi_ through your own armor-very clever!"

"Not every element, just what we have trained to harness-in my case, I know how to harness the power of water as well as things derived from it, like ice and some healing magic." Misty explained.

"But what about the glowing armor?" Now Dawn was interested.

"The armor is made via a top secret process out of an enchanted material that channels magic." Misty explained. "I would tell you what the material was, but then I'd have to kill you." Nervous giggles filled the air. "So only a select few and their apprentices know how to make an aura knight's armor."

"It must be an honor to make something like that." Dawn mused.

"The way into the forest is locked by the same means that my home city's gates are locked-a singing crystal." Misty explained, changing the subject. "To open the door, the crystal is struck, and you have to either repeat the note that is struck or sing something in that key."

Brock swallowed hard. "I have not sung in several days..."

"Oh come now!" Kissa scolded. "Maybe if you warmed up a little, you would sound just fine!"

Brock sighed, found his harp, and plucked a low D note, humming it to be sure he was in tune before singing _Ah..._ up the scale. Next, he slowly repeated the phrase "Through darkest mists with stoutest boasts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts" a few times, getting faster each time.

"Interesting means of warming up..." Janine was impressed at Brock's ability to repeat the phrase three times quickly without tripping.

"The idea is to try and speak clearly, and tongue twisters are great for practicing clarity. If you trip, start again until you can say it quickly and clearly." Brock explained.

"Through darkest dists-" Ash quickly started before trying again. "Through darkest mists with stousts-through markest-through darkest dist-AUGHHHH!"

Everyone laughed. "Good try, though." Brock assured Ash, who was blushing a little. "Try starting slow and working your way up next time." With that, he resumed his warmup by humming a few arpeggios before making a few purring noises.

"Yes, yes...just like me!" Kissa smiled, pleased that her master was back in form to sing.

"Well! Someone left a drum in here..." Misty noted as she picked up a small frame drum that lay againt the wall by the table. "So if Sir Brock has his voice warm, why don't you try to sing 'Light at the Close of Day'?"

"I know that tune!" Ash gasped before grabbing the Dreamer's Flute and beginning the jig in question as Misty provided the beat with the drum.

_Un-oh-di-lay-oh, eh-ah-eh-di-dil-eh-oh-dil-eh-oh-ii-de-ah-dil-ah-ii-eh-oh..."_ Brock sang along, doubling the flute an octave below.

"He's warm, all right!" Dawn smiled as she applauded when the tune concluded.

"Now just a little humming in the morning and I'll be ready!" Brock assured the group as he made his way to his room for the night.

**To Be Continued...**


	30. The Ice of the Wood

Episode 26: The Ice of the Wood

The group departed the inn the next morning in high spirits-Misty led the way, with Brock following behind, then Ash, with the girls and the Pokemon bringing up the rear. Despite the cold and whirling snow around them, Ash was confident that they would find the plumen leaves they needed to heal the mayor's daughter and enter the ice caverns.

"This is it..." Misty began as she led the group up to a large stone door with a red stone in the middle. "The crystal door that leads into the Frosty Forest."

Ash hesitantly approached the door, drew his blade, and struck the crystal hard enough to create a ringing E note that could be heard all the way back in town. No sooner had Brock hum back the note in reply, did the door rumble open, nearly blinding the party with a blast of wind and snow.

"I thought the snow would have subsided by now!" Dawn gasped as she wiped snow from her eyes.

"Much less it get this bad at this time of day!" Janine paused to wipe snow from her eyes as well.

"When they said the weather here was unpredictable, they weren't kidding!" Ash agreed as the group made their way into the maze of pine and fir trees.

"Unfortuantely, there's nothing I can do about this weather, so we'll just have to deal with it for now." Misty sighed-she had not counted on everyone's complaining.

"I could call upon Saidas again!" Ash volunteered. "She brought us here, so maybe she can guide us through this maze."

"That's an idea, but I wouldn't invoke the gods unless we really needed help." Misty replied as she led the group around a bend.

"You also have a means of creating a map, you know-remember the spell of tracking Anima taught you?" Dawn added as she carefully stepped over a stick and into more snow.

Ash quickly fumbled for the Dreamer's Flute and called into the howling wind "Four elements, reveal to me where the plumen grows! Tracking Cycle! With that, he played a playful melody down the scale for the Earth section, followed by a mystical response up the scale for the Fire section. After repeating the playful call again for the Wind section, a quiet response for Water completed the cycle.

"Whoa..." Dawn gasped as a large glowing map of the Forest appeared in the sky, with a rainbow ball representing the group's current position and a blue ball marking their destination.

"See? When you put your mind to it, anything is possible." Janine assured him. "Learn to consider your options before charging to battle." Ash nodded to show Janine he understood, then focused on following the shining map's directions to the plumen grove.

It took several hours of winding through the forest's many snowy paths and walls of trees, but just before the sun set, the group arrived at a large wall of newly formed ice. "Oh dear...perhaps the Tracking Cycle was incorrect?" Kissa mused as she and Pikachu contemplated how to pass the blue-white wall before them.

"Easy-it's just ice, so all we have to do is cast a fire spell on it!" Ash assured the others before taking a few steps back and charging a ball of red energy. "Star fire, awake and deliver your judgement! Fira!" The large ball of fire went flying at the ice wall, but when the flaming explosion disappated, the ice wall was amazingly still standing!

"Burning fire, become like water to sear my foe! Fire Mist!" The ensuing calm melody from Brock's harp and the red cloud of hot mist created from the strings did nothing to damage the ice.

"Hi Magiiro no jutsu! Great Fire Tornado!" Janine's firey whirlwind fizzled out upon impact with the ice wall.

"Any more bright ideas?" Misty asked as the boys and Janine tried again and again to make any sort of dent in the ice wall.

"This is no ordinary ice..." Janine concluded. "Apparently someone or something created this ice, and it doesn't appear to be the great Saidas..."

"The Ice Queen wouldn't dream of putting up an ice barrier unless she was protecting something..." Dawn mused.

"You'd be correct, Bowmistress." Saidas replied as she flew in aboard Articuno. "However, do not be so quick to accuse me of blocking your way to the blue star-this ice is not mine, and I have no reason to seal the plumen grove."

"Well, if you didn't do it, who did?" Ash demanded.

"Something far more sinister than the malady that struck the little one in Chairo-something that makes its lair in the ice caves." Saidas replied. "What this being is, I'm not sure yet, but it wants to see the little one dead and the way to its lair sealed."

"But how do we break the barrier, O Ice Kami?" Janine pleaded. "All our jutsu have done nothing!"

"One spell alone will not be enough, but there is a way to break the ice down." Saidas assured Janine before flying off into the swirling snow aboard Articuno.

There was a moment of silence as the group contemplated their next move. The sun was about to set, and if they didn't think of something now, they would be left to survive whatever lurked within the Frosty Forest at night.

Finally, Dawn spoke up. "Say..."

"What is it?" Kissa asked, piqued.

"Since none of our spells alone have done a thing to the ice barrier...why don't we try casting all of them at once?" Dawn suggested. "Brock could play Fire Mist using the Song of Light..."

"And then Ash join in playing a fire spell himself..." Kissa added.

"..and then Chiryoshi-hime power Kokenin-san's spellsong with her voice!" Janine cried, excited. "It's a great idea, and worth a try, since our time of light grows short."

"Okay..." Brock replied as he readied his harp to play again. "I will start the song Fire Mist using the tune of the Song of Light. When I finish one cycle of the tune, Ash will join me with a spell of his own, with Dawn's voice enhancing whatever Ash decides to play. The combined power of both spells should at least make a dent in the barrier."

"Whenever you're ready." Misty mused.

Brock nodded and whispered "Burning fire, become like water to sear my foe! Fire Mist!" before beginning the familiar rising and falling melody of the Song of Light, making a large cloud of red mist engulf the wall.

"Holy fire, rend through the coldness of evil! Crimson Claw!" Ash commanded before joining in with a countermelody on the Dreamer's Flute, with Dawn singing a descant to make the glowing red crystals glow brighter than before as they impacted the icy barrier with a hiss.

"It's working!" Misty joyfully cried as she saw the first drops of melting ice begin forming on the wall a few minutes later.

"Keep playing!" Kissa urged as a melting icicle landed at her feet.

The song continued for about twenty minutes, with the barrier growing smaller and smaller ever so slowly until it disappeared completely, revealing a small grove filled with blue leafed plants.

"The plumen!" Ash eagerly pocketed the Dreamer's Flute and rushed to pick some of the blue leaves from the odd plants.

"Just in time, too..." Misty added as the sun sank below the horizon.

Once enough plumen had been gathered, the group was whisked back to Chairo just before the first stars of night appeared with a call of "Beacon of Anima, take us to Chairo! Time Hole!"

**To Be Continued...**


	31. One Last Challenge

Episode 27: One Last Challenge

"Brave travelers...words cannot express my joy and my gratitude for saving my little girl." the mayor began as the group gathered in the mayor's house the next morning. "Name your reward, and it is yours."

"Well..." Ash thought for a moment about how to address the wiry and muscular auburn haired man before him. "We desire nothing more than passage into the ice caves..."

"The gods have decreed that the next object on our quest is within their frigid walls." Misty explained as a blonde haired girl entered the room and made herself comfortable in a chair by her father's desk.

"If you have braved the forest and returned safely, I see no reason to stop you from entering the caves." the mayor assured Misty as he retrieved a map from a drawer and spread it out for the group to see. "This is the most recent map of the caves I have-you may study it if you must prepare for your journey."

"Let's see..." Dawn mused as she glanced at the twisting and turning passageways marked in blue. "There are likely many routes inside, so we have to stay together at all costs."

"What about this footprint shaped room right here?" Janine asked, pointing out a room in the upper left corner that resembled some kind of foot.

'The caves have been known to hold as many treasures as it does creatures-but the treasures usually lie in shaped rooms like that one." the mayor replied before addressing the girl. "Do you have any advice for your rescuers, Lirena?"

"I've heard talk of bandits appearing around the caves..." the girl replied. "It's strange, though-treasures appear in the caves all the time, and bandits haven't shown up here before because of how cold it is. So there has to be something valuable inside for them to even consider coming up here."

"Have you seen any bandits at all around the caves?" Brock asked.

Lirena just shook her head. "No-just a lot of footprints."

"If we find any, we will tell your father right away." Janine assured Lirena as the group turned to leave.

"May Our Lord and Our Lady watch over you on your journey." the mayor smiled as the group walked out onto the snowy path. Liana stood next to him on the stoop, waving goodbye as the party set out from town and onto the path leading to the caves.

The group made good time across the twisting path once they opened the way with the singing crystal-the A note it produced was no problem for Brock to hit. But just as the white walls of the caves came into view, Ash spotted an array of men and women clad in black milling around a makeshift camp and creating a large pile of gems-a bandit's camp.

The burly leader of the group suddenly spotted the party. "Hold! No traveler ventures to the ice caves without paying a toll to the Black Griffons!" he barked as the party approached the entrance to the caves.

"Since when have bandits shown up here?" Dawn demanded-Lirena had said it was unheard of for bandits to appear in such cold conditions.

"We have permission to come through here, so let us pass!" Ash protested.

"Pay up, magic user, then we'll let you pass! the bandit replied.

"Psst, Master...did you bring your fiddle?" Kissa asked.

"I have the harp and the fiddle with me-why?" Brock replied as Ash and the bandit continued arguing. He listened as Kissa whispered a plan to him, a wry smile forming on his face all the while. "What a great idea, Kissa!" With that, he retrieved the harp and commanded "Power of darkness, hear my song and embrace the light! Hypnotic Aria!" Kissa gained a light blue aura around her as the harp played, signaling to the girls that she was the one to evoke Hypnotic Aura. She nodded to Brock as she approached Ash and the bandit, prompting him to switch to the fiddle.

"...and that's why we should go through the caves!" Ash concluded his case on why the group had the right to go through the ice caves.

"Besides, the last few travelers you didn't steal from, so it's not fair that we should be stopped like this." Kissa mused as she joined Ash.

"Try and make us, kitty!" the bandit growled.

Kissa nodded to Brock, who began a rhythmic melody before she began singing. _You bow to the left, then bow to your right..._ she sang as she swayed to the song. _You take your partner's hand, and you hold on tight!_ The bandits proceeded to partner up. _You pull'em in close, and you don't let go! And you do a little Nanab do-si-do! You push'em down quick, and you pull'em in fast, then you spin'em real hard so the dizziness lasts! Then grab'em by the shoulders and shake'em like so, and you do a little Nanab do-si-do!_

Misty burst out laughing as the bandits pulled each other close, spun each other around, and shook each other to the spritely melody Brock was playing. "Well played, Kissa!"

"Very clever, indeed!" Dawn wheezed from laughing so hard at Kissa's crazy, yet clever plan.

_Then you grab'em by the waist, throw'em high in the air, and if they go high enough, they'll need intensive care! You're doing a handstand, and walkin' real slow as you do a little Nanab do-si-do!_ Kissa commanded, prompting the bandits to toss each other skyward and do handstands.

Even Ash was laughing as Brock broke off to solo. "What did Kissa DO, anyway? This is hilarious!"

"Maybe she knows Hypnotic Aria?" Janine suggested as the bandits continued dancing.

_You promenade as you're dancin' through the icy glades!_ Kissa continued as she led the dancing bandits to an icy field not far from the caves. _Skip to the beat, til you can't feel your feet, yeah!_

"Take it, Brock!" Ash called, allowing Brock to play a long solo as the bandits whirled and skipped and froliced in the snow.

Kissa rejoined the group some time later. "That ought to keep them busy for a while...they'll keep dancing as long as they hear Master's fiddle."

"But Karakashu-san can't play forever!" Janine cautioned.

"That's why I have one of these!" Ash announced as he fished a clear stone from his pocket, which absorbed the fiddle's song inside. "This song stone will continue to play whatever song it absorbed until shattering, so with Brock's solo continuing forever, these bandits will be dancing for some time." he explained as the now green stone flew to the hill where Brock was performing, allowing Brock to rejoin the group as they walked into the caves. The bandits, meanwhile, kept dancing in the snow as if Brock was still there, not knowing that he had long since disappeared...

**To Be Continued...**


	32. Flames in the Ice

Episode 28: Flames in the Ice

"Wow..." Ash gasped as the group stepped into the ice caves-the sun peeked through a hole in the ceiling, making the many walls of ice and the icicles hanging from them shine, but not melt.

"It's beautiful..." Dawn agreed as she led the way down a sloping path.

Janine, meanwhile, was piqued in some odd writing in one corner of the map. "In order to brave the cold blue...need the warmth of...Rose.

"Hm?" Janine's musing got Brock's attention.

"I see an odd message on this map of the caves." Janine explained. "In order to brave the cold blue-what comes next is smudged-need the warmth of-then a word I do not know-Rose"

"Maybe..." Misty started before gasping at the appearance of vaguely humanoid creatures made from ice. "Ice shades-here?"

"Worse-we even have eisfay too!" Dawn shuddered as some fairy-like creatures began flying in from the hole in the cave ceiling, their fog making it hard for anyone to see.

"Hi Magiiro no jutsu! Infernal Explosion!" Janine commanded, embedding some ruby shaped orbs around the swarm of monsters. An explosion rocked the cave seconds later, dispelling the eisfay fog and allowing the group to continue on.

"Thanks, Janine-I don't think I want to discover where Misty's comrades are by being brought to their location by eisfay." Kissa replied as she shook some cinders from her fur. Miraculously, the ice had not been melted by the explosion.

"What were those things, anyway?" Ash wondered-Milina had never told him of ice shades, so surely Brock knew something.

"I don't know their true name-'ice shades' is their popular name because they behave very much like a ghost." Brock explained. "But I DO know what could be creating them..."

"What?" Now Dawn was interested.

"Someone-or something-that knows Song Magic is here in the caves." Brock replied. "Ice shades-for lack of a better name to call them-can only be sung into existance. That means that we're dealing with a monster that likely knows a corrupted form of the spell Rallying Call."

"Hm..." Dawn contemplated the new information for a moment-Rallying Call being used to summon other monsters besides Pokemon was not unheard of, but demons and monsters that could do it were few and far between.

"But does that have anything to do with the message Janine found?" Misty asked.

"Let me see that for a second..." Ash grabbed the map away and studied the odd message as he cleared away some dust from the smudged area."In order to brave the cold blue-something..." he mused.

Then an F revealed from the dust gave him an idea-was it possible the message was referring to a spell?"

"That's it!" he blurted as the group arrived at the bottom of the slope and into a darker room filled with sloping paths. "The message is referring to a rare spell!"

"What kind of spell?" Brock hurried over and glanced at the map, where Ash was pointing at the slightly cleaned up message. "..need the warmth of Feu Rose...whatever that is..."

"Feu Rose is a protection spell-it makes a wall of fire that can even melt arcane ice." Ash explained.

"Explain to me how we are going to find a fire spell in an ice cave." Misty sighed as she carefully eased herself down a slope that led into a large outdoor alcove with a large lake in the center. A flock of Prinplups was present as well-some of them sliding into the lake's icy water, some sunning themselves on ice floes, some waddling about with Piplups close behind, and still others gathering fish.

"We could try asking the Prinplups if Kissa can understand them..." Dawn suggested.

"Actually...I have a better idea..." Ash sneakily smiled as he took the Dreamer's Flute, crept up to a Prinplup delivering fish to a crowd of Piplups, and whispered the incantation to Hypnotic Aria so as not to scare the flock away. When the Prinplup turned to waddle off towards a sloping wall, Ash started to play a march like melody. The Piplups, meanwhile, were fascinated by the song, and began following the flute playing mage to the alcove's northern exit.

"Well, that's one way to get a Pokemon's attention." Misty mused as some other Prinplups and Piplups paraded by her.

"Music does tame the savage beast after all." Brock reminded her as the group rushed to catch up with Ash and the procession of Pokemon, which had entered a sloping corridior.

The odd parade wound down the sloping path until a rumbling noise got Ash's attention-an avalanche from outside!

One Prinplup motioned for Ash to climb on its back, and slid down the icy slope in a desperate bid to outrun the oncoming snow. The others followed on Prinplups of their own, arriving safely at the bottom seconds before the snow impacted an icy wall.

"Thanks for the ride!" Dawn thanked her Prinplup before running to see if the flock was all right.

Brock, meanwhile, was giddy from the ride. "That was so much fun! Anyone for another round?"

Misty sighed. "Thanks, but no thanks,"

"So dizzy..." Janine moaned as she tried to regain her bearings. "Next time, Ash-san, warn me if your next proposal involves an avalanche!"

**To Be Continued...**


	33. The Legend of Feu Rose

Episode 29: The Legend of Feu Rose

"The Prinplups were okay..." Dawn assured the group as she healed an injured Piplup. "Just a few minor scratches."

"Next time, Ash, play only when you're sure you're not going to cause an avalanche." Brock cautioned. "The vibration of the flute against the cave walls likely caused what happened back there."

"I'm still curious about Feu Rose." Misty mused. "One, what is it doing in an ice cave, and two, what lore is behind it?"

"Number one I don't know, but number two I'm sure Brock could tell you about way better than I could." Ash replied.

"A thousand gold pieces says he breaks a harp string in the cold." Kissa whispered to Janine, who giggled at the thought, knowing Kissa's bet was only in jest. But no twang echoed through the icy corridors, only the plings and plungs that signaled that the harp was being tuned.

When he was ready, the now familiar strains of Marista's Song echoed through the cave before Brock began "There was once a king who had a lovely daughter. Many a prince or adventurer came and asked for the princess' hand in marriage, but the first two to ask were Entei, the Fire Beast, and Manaphy, Prince of the Sea. Manaphy went to the castle and asked for the princess' hand in marraige, only to discover that Entei had asked first."

"Shouldn't Manaphy have her?" Ash asked. "Water does beat fire, after all."

"What you say is true, and Entei and Manaphy both knew that as well, so a battle between them would be unfair." Brock replied. "So the king decided to allow them both to display their power for the princess, and whoever could put on the better show won her hand."

"Fair enough." Misty mused.

"It was decided that the contest be held in an ice cave like this one, with the royal wizard serving as a judge." Brock continued over an interlude. "The day of the contest came, and not even the biting cold turned away the many spectators that came to watch."

"So who won?" Janine asked.

"Entei stunned the crowd with his red flames, and Manaphy created icy patterns on the cave walls." Brock continued. "But the two Pokemon ended up in a tie, and so the royal wizard asked them to attack at the same time. The point where the fire and ice met erupted into a pink flame that protected either side from being injured-Entei and Manaphy then realized their fighting over the princess was foolish, and left the pink flame spell in the snow in rememberance of their fruitless battle-so ends the tale of 'The Conest Between Entei and Manaphy'

"But who did the princess eventually marry?" Misty asked.

"It depends on which minstrel you ask-some minstrels say she married the royal wizard. Others say she married a wealthy noble." Brock mused as he put the harp away. "Myself...I leave it for you to decide who she married."

"Maybe if we find the scorched ice that Entei left and Manaphy's designs, we could find Feu Rose." Ash suggested.

"It's just a story, Ash..." Dawn cautioned as the group continued down the icy corridor.

"That may be true, but for all we know, their contest may have taken place in this very cave!" Ash countered. He calmed down when he heard some icicles rattle, ever mindful about the avalanche from before.

"Remember what I said about not everything in a story has to be true?" Brock warned. 'This is one such occasion."

"Then how do you explain this?" Ash asked, gesturing to a series of black char marks that looked like it could have come from fire on one wall.

Dawn studied the char marks. "You know, I think you may be right, Ash!"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	34. A Desperate Moment

Episode 30: A Desperate Moment

"Janine...can you sense how old a char mark is or how it got there?" Ash asked, perplexed by the black marks gouged in the ice.

"My divination jutsu isn't the strongest, but I can try." With that, Janine lay a hand on the charred ice, making a red aura appear on the wall for a few moments. "Karakashu-san's tale may be right-this char is from a time long ago."

"Look what I found!" Dawn reported, gesturing to another wall with glittering water-like designs.

"Then maybe Feu Rose will be there if we find the point where these designs meet!" Even Misty was giddy with excitement. as the group trudged down another corridor. "But be aware that we still have to deal with whatever monster makes its lair in the cave..."

"What do you suppose could've sickened the mayor of Chairo's daughter and created a barrier of ice that no spell alone could melt?" Dawn challenged as everyone glanced at Ash.

Ash swallowed hard and thought for a moment. _Think Ash, out of all the creatures and Pokemon you read about in the lore books that sing magic, which one would make its home in an ice cave?_

He sat down on a rock nearby another charred wall, with a glittering wall across from it. _Skygers can sing magic, but they live in the clouds of heaven. Dragons have been said to sing magic..._

"Pika!" He was snapped from his musing when Pikachu frantically gestured to some canine-like pawprints leading down a corridor.

"You think that whatever creature caused this mess was a canine creature?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded as his master got up from the rock and followed his comrades down a corridor. _That makes narrowing it down a lot easier-no ordinary wolf, fox, or dog can sing magic._

"Any theories?" Misty's question snapped him back to reality as the group entered a large open room with seemingly no other ways out.

"Well..." Ash took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart, then began. "Pikachu found some pawprints that look canine in nature back in the corridors, so I have several candidates. One is the serigala, a bear-like wolf often seen in the mountains."

"Has a very melodic howl that many unlucky travelers mistake for a girl-that's why it is notorious for luring lost travelers to be eaten." Brock added. "Its distinctive howl is also how it can sing magic-although I use the term sing very loosely."

"Another possibility is a were-creature-but that would require demonic activity in this area." Ash continued as he eyed a spot of snow that glowed pink.

"Would a felilupe work?" Janine suggested.

"Wrong area-they are more of a forest dweller." Misty replied as she watched Kissa dig through the pinl spot of snow.

"Forgive me for interrupting the debate, but perhaps this is of interest to you?" Kissa interrupted, gesturing to a large slab of glass containing pink flames.

Misty gasped. "Is that...?"

"Feu Rose!" Ash knelt on the ground and laid a hand on the glass slab, making his hand glow pink as he absorbed a little of the pink flames.

Just then, an oddly pleasent sounding howl pierced the chilly air. "Oh no..." Dawn swallowed hard and readied an arrow as a white canine with a hulking body akin to a bear leapt into the room, making the caves shake and icicles rattle.

"We are dealing with a serigala!" Misty gasped, but before she could draw her blade and attack, Kissa had leapt at the monstrous creature, only to be thrown into the snow.

"Life's refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!" Dawn commanded, enveloping Kissa in a soothing blue light.

"Searing heat and winter chill, come together to protect us! Feu Rose!" Ash commanded, making a pink wall of flames surround the group. The serigala tried again and again to break through the flaming wall, but only yelped in pain at every attempt.

Finally, it howled in frustration, making glittering dust fall into the room.

"Dreamer's Dust?" Misty yawned before falling into the snow, asleep.

"You forgot that our opponent can..." This was as far as Brock got before he too fell asleep.

Ash panicked as one by one, his friends fell under the spell the serigala had sung. If he didn't think of something quick, he too would succumb to Dreamer's Dust and they would all be killed!

Brock's necklace gave him an idea. The Necklace may not be complete yet, but I need to borrow some of that magic!

He grabbed the Dreamer's Flute and called over the serigala's howl "Shining beacon of many colors, show me the way to power! Rainbow Spark!" With that, he played a calm melody that formed a wave of sparkling light, catching the serigala by surprise and awakening the others.

"Impossible!" Misty was the most surprised. "I didn't know a mage could tap into a minstrel's spell!"

"Others can try to cast Rainbow Symphony, but it will always be a different spell." Brock explained as he eased himself to his feet and found his harp. "Ash is merely borrowing some of my own power to hold the serigala down." With that, he called "Light of heaven, guard us from the unending darkness! Holy Mirror!" as the serigala howled again, sending the second wave of Dreamer's Dust back onto itself.

"Thanks, Ash..." Dawn smiled as Ash concluded Rainbow Spark.

"My pleasure-now who wants the honor of slaying this beast?" Ash asked.

"I'm not done yet!" and Brock's song turned frantic "Wind of light, bring forth your colorful promise! Diamond Breeze!"

"What in the..." Misty gasped as a whirlwind of diamonds and rainbow wind formed around the snoozing serigala.

"The serigala almost killing Kissa must have enraged Brock enough to awaken a new spell!" Dawn agreed.

"It did-this should banish it from this place!" With that, he played a sweeping chord, engulfing the serigala in the Diamond Breeze.

"No wonder that creature was so aggressive-look what I found!" Janine called as the last of the Diamond Breeze died down. She held up a pale blue stone that glowed as it sang _Give it some words, and..._

"Saidas' Aquamarine!" Ash gasped as the stone flew over to Brock's necklace and latched on next to Raissel's Emerald.

Misty smiled. "You did wonderfully working as a team-I would be honored to come with you on your quest."

"Really?" Ash asked, interested. "But what about your comrades?"

"I have not forgotten about them-I'm curious to see if their disappearance is connected to your quest for Rainbow Symphony."

"An interesting thought indeed." Kissa agreed. "For now, let's return to Chairo-my fur is freezing!"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	35. Flight to the Desert

Episode 31: Flight to the Desert

After returning from the ice caves, the group departed from Chairo and made their way back to Hese early the next morning. While most of the group was in high spirits after retrieving Saidas' Aquamarine, Dawn was unusually quiet.

"What seems to be the matter?" Kissa asked as the group stopped to rest on a hill overlooking Hese. "You haven't said a word ever since we left Chairo."

Dawn sighed. "Before we left, the mayor of Chairo told me that my mother had been spotted in a desert town. Ever since she disappeared long ago, she was long presumed dead...but is it true she is alive? If she is, then what has she been doing all this time?"

"Fear not, Bowmistress of Anima-your mother still loves you very much, and has not abandoned you." a familiar voice began.

"Deami..." Ash gasped as a red light appeared before the group and formed into the shape of the fire goddess.

"Is it true my mother is alive?" Dawn asked.

Deami nodded. "Your mother yet lives, and has made her home in a city of the desert, where my ruby lies."

"But how do we get to the desert, much less survive in it?" Misty asked, concerned.

"The desert lies across the sea from here, and we have no Pokemon that can fly..." Brock agreed.

"One awaits for your aid somewhere on the plains-find her, and she will take you wherever your search for the Necklace beads leads you." Deami assured the group. "I will tell you more when you arrive in the desert." With that, she disappeared in a red flash.

"I hope none of you are afraid of heights..." Kissa sighed as the group made their way into one of the rare forested areas around Hese.

"Nonsense! We build gliders in the village!" Janine assured Kissa.

"Wind aura knights took me flying all the time while I was in training!" Misty agreed. "So why should I fear being in the air?"

"Should we tell them the tale about why Wartortles have cracked shells?" Kissa giggled as the group approached a river.

"Nah-we don't need to hang on by our mouths, anyway." Brock replied as he began gathering some clay from the river bank and rolling it into a ball.

"I suppose we are camping here?" Janine mused as Dawn began pitching her tent.

"May as well-we've been traveling all day." Misty agreed. "Ash, would you mind going to gather some wood for a campfire?"

"Sure!" Ash replied and started into the forest, watching all the while as Brock cut the clay ball in half with a small knife and began working one half into a bowl shape.

"Pika?" Pikachu wondered as he watched Brock work for a moment.

"We can ask what he's making when we get back to camp." Ash assured Pikachu as he ran down the forest path, picking up sticks and branches all the while.

Suddenly, Pikachu noticed a large net draped across several trees in the distance. "Pikapi!"

"What is it?" Ash set aside his bundle of wood and looked into the trees above him, where Pikachu frantically pointed out the netting. Some familiar brown feathers clued him in on just what the giant net held-a Pidgeot that was uneasily sleeping.

"Pika pika pikachu?" Pikachu asked.

"I don't know who caught the Pidgeot or why, but they somehow hoisted the net into the trees in hopes they could possibly come back for it later." Ash explained before climbing up into the tree nearby, where the net's bindings were connected. "If I just cut the net loose from the tree..."

Suddenly, the Pidgeot woke up and let loose a terrified screech, nearly sending Ash falling to the ground. "Peace-I'm not going to hurt you." he assured the frightened Pokemon. "I'm trying to get you out of here..." he explained as he drew his sword.

The ringing of a sword being drawn spooked the Pidgeot even more, making it squawk and scream as it struggled to flap its bound wings. Ash just calmly severed the bindings with a stroke of his blade before jumping down onto the ground, sending the net falling into a makeshift bed of leaves Pikachu had made.

"What's going on here?" Misty led the way into the clearing with the others, where Ash was gently sliding the net off of the captured Pidgeot.

"I found this Pidgeot trapped in the forest canopy, and I'm trying to set it free." Ash explained as he heaved the net into a bush.

"It's going to take more than a person and a Pokemon to set a bird of this size free." Janine cautioned as she examined the many knots binding the Pidgeot's wings.

"Plus, who could've wanted to capture a Pokemon this big?" Dawn wondered.

"Poaching is forbidden on these lands." Janine added as she began working on untying the knots, only to rear back when the Pidgeot screeched again.

"We're only trying to help you!" Dawn assured the Pidgeot, but this proved fruitless as it screamed again.

"It's no use..." Misty sighed. "We can't cut it loose, and magic would harm the Pidgeot..."

"But how to calm it down so we can set it free?" Kissa yelled over the Pidgeot's panicked screaming.

A low whistle-like noise suddenly drifted through the woods, calming the Pidgeot. The girls saw their opportunity and began working to undo the knots.

Pikachu looked around, interested in the noise, but all Ash could see was the girls fratically undoing the knots. He then spotted Brock in the distance, playing the strange lullaby-like melody on a newly made ocarina.

"Pika..." Pikachu gasped, impressed.

"So that's what you were making earlier today!" Ash gasped.

"Marista showed me how to make an ocarina once-but Amhran Hall is not exactly close to a river." Brock explained. "So I never really got the chance to practice making one until now."

"He learned to play one from a fellow apprentice in his class-a lass named Kenja." Kissa added.

"What about the song? Is it special?" Ash asked.

"I just made it up on the fly." Brock confessed. "I think I'll call it 'Lament for Mina'..."

"Mina..." Dawn mused. "'Wind' in the holy tongue..."

"A fitting name for a Pidgeot." Janine agreed.

"Keep playing that song...I think she likes it!" Misty suggested as she continued undoing the knots around the Pidgeots left wing. Brock nodded, and resumed the haunting melody that drifted skyward into the night...

**To Be Continued...**


	36. Whistles on the Wind

Interlude: Whistles on the Wind

Ash woke up the next morning and gasped in shock-Mina was nowhere in sight! "Did you ever finish setting the Pidgeot free?" he asked as Misty brought him his breakfast.

"The girls did set the Pidgeot free-and I managed to tame it." Brock added before picking a blade of grass. "Watch."

With that, he cupped his hands around the grass and blew, making a raspy voice-like noise fill the air. A Pidgeot's cry pierced the sky a few seconds later as Mina fluttered into the clearing, clutching two Magikarps in her talons.

"Wow!" Dawn was impressed.

"Show me how to do that!" Ash agreed.

"Grasswhistles are quite simple to make, and very good for signaling." Janine explained as she searched around for a good blade of grass. "Flat blades work the best." she added as she picked one. Once Ash had found a suitable blade of grass, she continued. "Now, hold one end between your thumbs, and catch the other end by slightly bending your thumbs while pressing them together."

Ash scrambled to avoid losing his blade of grass, but managed to get it in the right position. "Like this?"

"Perfect, Nincada." Janine smiled. "This is the tricky part-straighten out your thumbs to pull the blade tight, being careful not to snap the blade as you do so."

Ash winced as his blade snapped. "Great..." he sighed as he found another blade and prepared it.

"Now, purse your lips slightly, put them against your thumbs, and blow." Janine instructed. Ash nodded and blew, making a flat squawk ring through the clearing.

"I don't know if you or a sick Psyduck sounds nicer..." Kissa groaned as Ash continued to squawk.

"What's your secret to getting actual notes?" Ash asked Brock, who was roasting the other Magikarp over the fire.

"I use the same technique you would use to play a horn-try puckering your lips a little like you've just tasted a wild Nomel Berry." Brock suggested.

_Okay, pucker like I've eaten a Nomel Berry..._ Ash reminded himself as he pursed his lips again with a slight pucker and blew, making a buzzy A note.

"There you go!" Brock smiled. "To get higher notes, make your lips into a tighter pucker, and loosen them when you want to go lower, just like a horn."

Pikachu listened, piqued, as Ash squeaked and squawked some more. "Pika..." he warned, sparking a little bit in annoyance.

"Okay, I'll go practice elsewhere." Ash assured Pikachu as everyone laughed.

_Later that day..._

"Now, can you use your new grasswhistle to call Mina?" Misty asked as Ash emerged from his tent.

"I may not be very good yet, but I'll try." Ash assured Misty as she turned Mina loose to fly a short distance away. He waited until Mina was just a speck in the afternoon sky, then played a wavery and flat version of the melody Brock had played before.

"He did it!" Dawn cheered as Mina came fluttering back to Ash's side.

Ash heaved with exhaustion, but hugged Mina. "May I have my own melody to call you? Blowing on grass is hard work!"

"You mean, you have another signal?" Misty asked.

"My saefleita." Ash explained as he showed Misty his saefleita. "We mages use them to call Pokemon as familiars." With that, he demonstrated by playing the melody for Pikachu.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu smiled as he bounded on Ash's shoulder.

"We can release Mina again and see if she responds to the bird's flute." Janine agreed.

"Yeah-it would come in handy if we're going to a place with little or no grass, like the desert." Dawn agreed.

"All right, here she goes..." With that, Misty sent Mina into the sky again.

Ash nodded, then played an oddly pleasent six note melody that echoed through the forest. After a few tense seconds, everyone cheered as Mina returned carrying a few Berry branches.

"Good girl, Mina." Ash smiled as he hugged the majestic Pidgeot again. "I can't wait to go flying across Yoso with you!

**To Be Continued...**


	37. Sands of Intrigue

Episode 32: Sands of Intrigue

"Wake up..." Dawn whispered as she nudged Ash awake. The group had been flying aboard Mina for most of the night, but to Ash, it felt like years had passed since they had left the forest.

"Are we th-" he started, but gasped when he saw the dunes below him, splashed with orange and red from the setting sun. "Wow!"

"It's beautiful!" Misty agreed as Mina came in for a landing nearby an oasis that lay nearby a rock. "I'm sure that the cities in the desert are just as beautiful!"

"But why did Mina land on such a high dune?" Janine mused as she looked down on the shifting sands far below. "Does she sense something we do not?"

A low rumble in the distance got Brock's attention. "I'd say she does!"

"Sandstorm!" Ash screamed as he noticed a cloud of dust rolling in their direction. Everyone gathered their gear, scrambled under Mina's wings, and covered their faces as the wave of sand rushed over them.

He wasn't sure how long the sandstorm had lasted, or where he had went after that, but when Ash opened his eyes some minutes later, he balked when he saw himself inside a tent, with an older woman with graying black hair and tanned skin in a elaborately patterned dress cleaning what sand was on his clothing and dressing the bruises on his arms and legs. "Where am I?"

"Peace, _ostati_-you and your friends are safe here." the woman assured him as she offered Ash his clothes, now clean. "Some of our tribe found you and your friends by the Oasis of Faith and brought you to our camp."

"Thank you for your aid, Lady..." Ash started as he stepped behind a screen to change.

"Tsura, of the Domari tribe." the woman replied. "I am the tribe's healer and oracle...the gods have called you here to our desert home, yes?"

Ash nodded as he emerged from behind the screen, fully dressed. "The fire goddess has led us here in search of her ruby, and we were caught in a sandstorm on the way."

"I see..." Tsura smiled as she invited Ash to take a look outside her tent. "Look here-your friends are well."

Ash peeked outside and heaved a sigh of relief at what he saw-Kissa chasing a Yanma, to the delight of some children, Janine and Misty nearby a makshift tent, talking to who he assumed were warriors, judging from the circles and squares decorating their light leather tunics. Dawn was over by another tent, helping another tribesman start the cooking fire as Mina looked on from a large palmwood pearch nearby. But the one he could easily pinpoint was Brock, who was tuning his instruments by a third tent as some tribeswomen spread blankets on the sand. "Thank Anima nothing was damaged and we're all okay..."

"It isn't often that outsiders come this way..." Tsura mused as she led Ash outside. "But lately, more and more have been coming to the city of Amanta to enter the grand tournament."

Ash was about to ask Tsura another question when he heard a call of "Make way for the chief!" in the distance. He saw the tribe members and Tsura bowing as a procession of tribesmen, most of them warriors, entered the camp escorting a Camerupt. He bowed on one knee himself as the procession arrived at the largest tent in the camp and the Camerupt's rider, a dark skinned man wearing a rainbow robe-like outfit with gold swirls and suns decorating it, was helped onto the ground.

"That is Stefan de Kardos, our chief." Tsura explained. "He is a wise and just ruler."

"And who is that?" Ash asked as a tan skinned girl in a green and blue robe ran to embrace Stefan.

"That is Stefan's daughter, Iris-our princess." Tsura continued. "Her mother was claimed by the desert when she was very small, and so I have served as a mother figure to her."

"What does _ostati_ mean?" Ash interrupted, piqued by what Tsura had called him before. "I don't know very much of the desert languages..."

_Ostati_ means 'child of power' in our language-what we call one trained in the magical arts, like you." Tsura explained as she led Ash to Stefan's tent, where the others were waiting. "Chief Stefan-these are the outsiders Deami told me would brave the desert for the Tournament of Fate."

"Tournament?" Misty was interested.

"I thought large tournaments were held in Madari..." Dawn agreed.

Stefan smiled. "While it is true that large competitions are held to the north, _jarina_ of Anima, Amanta has an arena of its own for grand affairs like the Tournament of Fate. Hundreds will test their powers over the next several weeks within its walls, but only one will walk away with the ruby of the fire goddess."

"Deami's Ruby...a prize for a tournament? "Janine asked.

"How did Lady Elesa find such a priceless treasure?" Misty agreed.

"That, I do not know, but I think the five of you have the potential to win the ruby and keep it from falling in the wrong hands." Stafan assured the group.

"I shudder to find out what someone with a black heart would do with Deami's Ruby..." Misty muttered.

"We have to get it back, no matter what it takes." Dawn agreed.

"Your enthusiasm is honored, but the hour grows late..." Stefan cautioned as the sun sank below the dunes. "There is still time to enter, and Amanta is only a few hour's walk from our camp." Mina chirped in agreement. "Or an hour by flight."

"Very well...we will travel to Amanta in the morning." Ash assured Stefan, to the cheers of the tribe.

"Then tonight, you will join us for a feast as our guests, brave ones." Stefan announced. "The _lanto_ with you is more than welcome to perform, as well."

"I would be honored, great one." Brock replied as he took his harp. "Please accept this song as a token of my gratitude." With that, he began playing a joyful melody that echoed into the night. Ash joined in with the Dreamer's Flute, his song a prayer for strength in the tournament...

**To Be Continued...**


	38. The Dance of Blessing

Episode 33: The Dance of Blessing

Festive cheers filled the air as the Domaris welcomed the group to their campfire that night. A large bonfire had been built, over which some meat was roasting. What meat was ready for consumption was then set onto long rods, where the tribespeople could help themselves.

"These are delicious!" Ash commented as he grabbed a handful of green Berries from a bowl, then passed it to the girl next to him.

"I'm glad, _ostati_ Ash-Meli Berries only grow by an oasis." Tsura replied as she took some bread from another bowl, then gave it to Ash. "They are from the same family as Nomel Berries, but not as sour."

"Please, take as much as you like-we have plenty to go around!" a tribesman told Janine as she took some Berries from the fruit bowl.

Dawn, meanwhile, was swaying to the beat of the drums, lute and fiddle being played by a group of tribespeople nearby Tsura's tent. "Great music here!"

"Princess Iris loves to dance, and so her father makes sure that music is played as often as possible so she can hone her power." a tribeswoman explained before sending another bowl of vegetables around the circle of people gathered by the campfire.

"Power?" Ash asked over the festive tune-or at least, he thought it was festive.

"Iris is an _ostati_ herself-only her protective magic manifests if she dances." Tsura explained. "If she asks to dance with you, consider it an honor." She let that hang as the joyful song concluded to some applause.

"Attention, all! We praise the great Deami for bringing us guests to share our campfire tonight!" Stefan announced, to cheers and applause. "These travelers may have traveled far on their journeys, but the Dorami spirit of kindness and humility will go with them always." More cheers went up at this.

Iris then stood up to address the crowd. "Father has told me that our guests seek to win the ruby of Deami in the Tournament of Fate..." After finding Brock seated by a tent on the left side of the circle, she continued "I would like to dance with one of them to bless them for the tournament-if the _lanto_ will give us a tale for this evening, I will show him my healing dance in return."

Brock got up from his place in the circle, his harp in one hand. "I accept your offer, Your Highness." he replied before playing Marista's Song.

"Such a beautiful melody..." Tsura whispered.

"He plays it in memory of his teacher, who died protecting him from demon Mightyenas." Ash explained. "She was primarily a storyteller, and so he plays that song before he tells a story." Tsura nodded slowly and listened as the last note faded away.

Once all was quiet, Brock began. "There was once a little village at the base of Mt. Arian, where the flowers bloomed and the Taillows sang. There were only thirty families in this village, brought together by chance when fleeing a great fire years before. They shared everything they owned, and stood by each other through thick and thin. For the most part, they were happy and content, tending the fields and hunting in the nearby forest.

He then began playing the accompaniment line to Marista's Song. "Now, one of these villagers was a young man-I will call him Ancha. Ancha had come to the village when he was very small, but his parents were claimed by a terrible disease soon after. Ever since then, the other townsfolk had raised him as one of their own."

After waving an interlude into the tune, he continued. "There was also a widow in that village who had a beautiful daughter-I will call her Yuna. The villagers considered Ancha and Yuna brother and sister, their friendship ran so deeply. One day, Ancha was hunting in the woods-while he was very skilled with a bow, his prey kept eluding him. Suddenly, Dorcha, Lord of the Night, came to him in the form of a ranger and gave him a magical bow and a quiver full of arrows that shone like the moon. From then on, not even demons could stand against his bow!" Cheers went up from the crowd at this.

"Get ready...your part in the story's coming up, if you wish to play a role." Kissa whispered to Ash, who nodded and retrieved the Dreamer's Flute from his bag.

"Likewise, Yuna had grown into a strong and wise young lady." Brock continued, still playing the accompaniment line to Marista's Song as he spoke. "The scenes on the tapestries she wove looked as if they would come alive at any moment, and all who saw her work were amazed at her skill. She would often sing while she worked, and her voice was so strong and so clear, even Pokemon would stop what they were doing to listen." At this, Dawn sings a quick prayer in the holy tongue to the tune of the song for effect, to some applause.

When the applause dies down, only the harp is left, playing the accompaniment line again. "One day, as Yuna was out gathering wood, Anima, Lady of Light, appeared to her as an instrument maker, and gave her an enchanted flute made of silver. Yuna practiced hard, and before long, no matter how tired they were, all that heard the magical flute were given renewed strength." Ash joins in on the Dreamer's Flute for effect. "For a while, the village flourished, and all the villagers were happy."

Then, Marista's Song turns into a forboding melody in B minor. "Then one year, another disease struck the village, and many of the villagers groaned as their stomachs swelled." Brock continued. "Ancha and Yuna did their best to ease the villager's suffering, but the number of sick grew daily, and if something was not done soon, many would die."

"So what did they do?" Stefan asks.

"Yes, was there any among them that knew a cure to the plague?" Iris agrees.

"There was the village elder, who was a very wise man." Brock replies. "Ancha and Yuna went to see him, and he told them that there was a cure for the disease, but two ingredients were required for the potion-Liepard's blood and leaves from the mithi plant. If they did not find the two items in three months, people would begin to die."

After playing an interlude, he continued "Ancha and Yuna decided to split up and search for the ingredients-he the Liepard's blood, and she the mithi leaves. Ancha crossed eight high mountains and eight deep canyons, among other things, until he came to a little cave nearby a river. It didn't look very forboding as various Pokemon came and went, and many flowers grew nearby, but the pawprints at the entryway signaled Ancha that a Liepard lived there. He waited for three weeks, hunting Bunearies and Parchirisus if he was hungry and drinking from the river if he was thirsty."

"So did the Liepard ever appear?" a boy asked.

"Yes, and it was a fierce battle, but in the end, Ancha slew the beast, and took a vial of its blood and its skin as his prize." Brock assures his audience before his interlude turned hopeful. "Yuna, meanwhile, had easily found where the mithi grew, but when she arrived in the field, she saw many children gathered around, picking the leaves. When a girl asked why she had come, Yuna gently explained her quest, and that she needed some mithi."

Ash snaps to attention as Brock continued. "Another girl saw Yuna's flute and begged her to play on it, and so Yuna played a set of reels, which sounded something like this..."

Dawn led the clapping as Ash played "Rambling On to Mavi", "The Silver Sword" and "Kyuki Picking Mata" before finishing the set with "Ninetales' Blessing."

"Bravo!" Tsura led the applause when the last note died. Ash just took a bow and waited for his next cue.

"The children danced as Yuna played, and many more came to listen." Brock continued. "When the final tune faded into the blue sky, they pleaded with Yuna to play some more. So Yuna thought for a moment, and played a tune of lament..." At this, Ash plays "Dorcha's Lament for Anima" as Brock plays some soft accompaniment.

"The children felt sorry for Yuna when the song ended, and gave her as much mithi as she could carry. They then called upon Isori, the Master of Wind..." Ash then plays his signal for Mina, making Mina chirp and the crowd laugh. "and Yuna was whisked home on a great gust of wind, where she was reunited with Ancha. The potion was made, and the village was healed. Ancha and Yuna were hailed as heroes for all time, and their story was told throughout the villiage for years to come." Brock concludes. "So ends the tale of 'The Dark Bow and the Shining Flute'".

Roars of applause went up from the tribe as Iris strolled by Brock's side. "Well told, _lanto_... Lady Anima has blessed you with great skill and equally talented companions." she began, giving Ash an acknowledging nod. "You have more then proven yourself to receive our blessing...so take my hand, and we will dance!"

Brock set his harp on a blanket and swallowed hard as he took Iris' hand. He then felt himself being pulled into a whirlwind of blue, green, and silver light as Iris spun, jumped, and twirled around the fire. He then looked down and gasped-the power seemed to be coming from Iris' light and graceful steps! At the same time, he felt stronger, as if he knew how to do this dance all along.

"Wow..." was all Dawn could muster as the many colored magic rained around them, and Brock and Iris spun and skipped across the sand, lost in a euphoria that neither of them wanted to end...

**To Be Continued...**


	39. The Tournament of Fate

Interlude: The Tournament of Fate

The Domaris bid the party farewell early the next morning-yet as Mina soared through the desert sky, Ash's mind swam with questions-had there been something on the scale of the Tournament of Fate before? If so, what were the ramifications of that? What could he expect within the arena walls?

"Why the thoughtful look?" Misty asked some seconds later, snapping Ash from his silent grimace.

"I've been thinking about our next objective...I've never competed in a tournament on this big a scale, and I want to know what to expect." Ash explained.

"Well, I've been in a few tournaments before, but I'm sure a mage's tournament is way different from the jousts and Pokemon battles knights compete in." Misty assured him. "Of course, I'm a little unsteady on Ponytas, so I mainly battled with my team of Water types."

"We battle Pokemon too, only our hand to hand battles are fought by casting spells at each other until one side submits." Ash added. "The most famous mage's tournament, however, is the famous Gauntlet of Illusion." He smiled as he remembered past matches against his classmates in the lodge and watching Milina run the Gauntlet of Illusion. iMilina was very good at battling too-I wish I could've gotten the chance to run the Gauntlet!/i

"That's how our duels are fought too, only we can use weapons and jutsu." Janine mused.

"Most clerics are too busy at the temples to compete in any sort of tournament, but that's not to say that clerics have competed at tournaments before..." Dawn interjected.

"For example, there's Dalziel MacCulleon, the Greyscale Priest..." Brock suggested, counting the various clerics on his fingers as he named them. "Nino Vidavan, the White Phoenix...Rosetta the Cursebreaker...Tirrya Darkchaser...and my personal favorite to sing about, Lemira Selrath, Anima's Singer. She's unique because like Dawn, she too could sing magic."

"Could you maybe sing about one of her adventures?" Dawn asked, her eyes shining-she'd always wanted to hear about another cleric that sang spells.

Brock was about to oblige when Janine interuppted "But what about you, Karakashu-san? Do _geshous_ have a competition?"

"Well...there's storytelling contests, musical contests and the drama contest on Rainbow Day that all the halls participate in." Brock replied. "The hall that puts on the best performance of the first performance of Rainbow Symphony wins a special tapestry, which is hung in the main hall untill the next Rainbow Day. As for me, I have participated in a few storytelling and music contests, but didn't win anything-highest rank I ever got was fourth place in the Harper's Competition."

"Here's an idea for you all..." Dawn suggested as Amanta came into view in the distance. "Suppose the Tournament of Fate is all of what we've discussed, plus some competitions we have never seen before?

An uneasy silence filled the air as Mina raced for the adobe walled city-whatever they would face in the Tournament, they would face it together. Deami's Ruby was too priceless and too important to let fall into the hands of just anyone-and who was Ash to think that it could fall into the wrong hands?

**To Be Continued...**


	40. A Date with Drama

Episode 34: A Date with Drama

"Wow..." Ash gasped at the imposing, yet dusty, adobe, stone, and marble buildings as Mina landed before the front gate of Amanta later that evening.

"So many people-are they all signing up for the tournament?" Janine asked.

"They have to be-for large tournaments like this, they set up registration kiosks all over the city to handle the eager throngs that want to sign up." Misty explained, pointing out a couple of simple wooden booths on the sides of the street marked "TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION" that had rapidly growing lines.

"Come on-signing up for a tournament can't be that hard!" Ash giggled as he ran to get in line.

"You were saying?" Brock chided a few moments later, as Ash struggled to carry the large stack of paperwork needed for the five of them to compete.

Dawn was just as surprised at the sheer minutiae of the questions. "Great grandmother's maiden name?"

"Uncle's profession?" "Brock was just as surprised at one question on the form as the five of them settled in the town square to fill out the papers.

"Don't blame me for the questions-many of them you don't have to answer." Misty assured the surprised group. "They just add many obscure questions to weed out those that wouldn't survive the competition."

"I know we can survive! We have to!" Ash declared as he went to work filling out the form. Brock just sighed and focused on finding the star marked required questions on his form.

After several hours of working, Ash gave Misty his form and watched her hurry off to a registration booth nestled in the brightly decorated stalls of the market district. He admired the square shaped stone houses and buildings around him as he listened to Brock play the wistful yet playful melody of a song Milina often sang-"Love by the Illumise Light". Judging from the intrigued Yanmas and Taillows gathering around him and the coins filling the harp case, the song about a maid finding her true love with the help of an Illumise was both soothing and enjoyable as he looked off towards the north district, where a magnificent marble building stood, its red, yellow, blue, and green banners fluttering in the evening breeze. _That can't be a temple or a guild hall..._ he mused. _A palace, maybe?_

Some applause startled him from his speculation-he looked up and saw a young woman about Brock's age clad in a red, purple, and blue suit with gold trim enthusiatically applauding Brock's performance. "Bravo, Sir Minstrel! Well played!"

"Thanks." Brock shyly stammered as he cleared out his tips and put his harp away. "I was merely playing to pass the time in waiting for my companion to return from signing us up to compete in the tournament."

"Here for the Tournament of Fate, are you?" the woman smiled. "I am Silvana Bianchi, the impresaria for the Theater Royale of Amanta. It's that large building at the edge of the north district." She pointed out the marble building, then fanned out five blue tickets with a gold circle hanging from them before the group. "As thanks for a wonderful performance, I would like to invite you and your friends to see our current production, 'Tabithi and the Sword of Mystic Light'"

"We would be honored, Lady Silvana." Ash smiled before taking the tickets from Silvana.

"If you plan to come, our next show begins at seven tonight." Silvana explained. "If you cannot come, you're welcome to give them to anyone in need of a fine show." After brushing some of her dull blonde hair from her face, she departed. "I hope to see you there!"

"Bye, and thank you!" Dawn called after her just as Misty returned.

"Okay-we're due to report to the arena at nine tomorrow morning for the opening ceremony." Misty replied. "In the meantime, we're free to explore and see all Amanta has to offer."

"How about going to the theater?" Ash suggested as he proudly showed Misty the tickets.

"Where'd you get those?" Misty asked as she examined one of the tickets.

"Oh, Brock was just playing harp to pass the time, and the impresaria of the local theater happened to hear him." Dawn explained. "She was so touched by his performance, she gave us those tickets."

"But who is this Tabithi? Is she like Dokusentoki?" Janine asked, piqued.

"Tabithi is said to be one of Mavi's great rulers-her claim to fame was retrieving a blessed sword to slay a dragon that an evil wizard summoned." Misty explained as the group started towards the theater. "It's a thrilling story-action, comedy, a little romance, and adventure...I'm sure Brock knows a few episodes from it."

"That I do." Brock replied as he stopped to admire the swords and bows for sale at a smith's stall. "I know the episode where Lugia blesses Tabithi with courage for her journey, and the episode in which she and her companion Reine find a magical harp."

"I have never attended a theater from the outside-what is it like?" Janine was even more curious as the group approached the theater, where a large crowd was gathered. "Most productions we put on are very simple in nature-few sets, simple costumes, perhaps a musician or two, but nothing more."

"A lot more elaborate." Ash explained. "Beautiful costumes, acrobats, musicians galore, pantomime, and even puppets! In fact, I remember the time Milina took me to see 'The Mage and the Hunter'-they used a puppet for the Chimchar, and the acrobatic routine the birds did in Act 2 was amazing!"

"I had the honor of playing Entei in 'Briadon, Rider of Flames' once, when Amhran was competing in a drama competition..." Brock added. "The Entei Briadon rides we decided to portray in two forms-during the scenes where Briadon actually rides him, we made a large Entei puppet that needed three people to perform-one to work the head and do the voice, one to perform the front end, and one to perform the back end-all seen from the audience. When Entei appears to Briadon in spiritual form, we used an actual actor-me."

"Is Entei a full masked Pokemon, or what?" Ash asked.

"You're right, Entei is a fully masked Pokemon, and so the channeler in the chorus speaks and sings his lines while the actor in the costume just follows the narration in pantomime." Brock replied. "Not easy to see inside the head mask, and since the head mask we had on hand was meant for someone with a larger head, it felt very loose-was half afraid I would be unmasked mid-show."

"What's the difference between masks?" Janine interrupted as the group got in the line that snaked across the theater grounds.

"There's three main kinds of mask-the quarter mask, which only covers the eye area of your face..." Brock explained. "Then there's the half mask, which completely covers your face, and then the full mask, which completely covers your head." Janine nodded to show she understood.

"If you have any more questions, the narrator typically explains what's going on at the beginning." Misty assured Janine as the group approached the theater entrance.

"Tickets, please." a boy in the familiar red and gold suit of an usher called. He smiled as the group flashed their tickets. "Guests of our lady Silvana...right this way, please." he smiled before leading the group inside the theater. Ash was careful not to lose the usher as he almost ran down the plush red carpet with elaborate golden swirls.

The group wound around several corners and passed many different lecture rooms, a ballroom, and some smaller theaters before finding themselves inside the main theater, which was beginning to fill with people.

"When we get to our seats, you give the usher the gold circle as proof that you've paid to get in." Dawn told Janine as the usher led them up a small stairwell to the balcony seats, where five seats with a "RESERVED" placard on them were waiting.

"And here we are, everyone." the usher smiled as he removed the placards. Once Ash was settled in his seat, he carefully removed the gold circle on his ticket and handed it to the usher. Janine hesitantly did likewise, then Dawn, Brock, and Misty. "There...enjoy the show." the usher smiled before running to assist another group.

"I've never seen a huge stage before..." Janine gasped at the large sloped stage before them.

"Well, you have to account for the actors, the chorus, the narrator, acrobats, extras for a crowd scene..." Ash explained. "So a lot of room is needed." He was about to say more when he heard a _tic-tic, tic-tic-tic_ and the lights flashed twice, quieting the chatter.

"That means the show's about to start." Dawn whispered to Janine as the crowd settled in and quieted.

A flowing harp melody filled the air, and after a few tense seconds, the lights revealed the performer-a pale orange haired girl in a long green and blue tunic with gold ivy designs swirling around it, with some purple and gold boots to complete the look. But her harp was the most impressive-it was crescent moon shaped with the column resembling Moltres flying, and studded in many rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, with some feather decorations at the top.

"If only I had an instrument like that..." Brock gasped as the last chord of the overture faded away.

"Good evening and welcome, travelers-tonight, we wish to present to you the daring exploits and exciting adventures of the Blade Queen Tabithi, and how she saved her kingdom from a terrifying dragon with a sword blessed by Anima." the narrator began. "If you are from another land and visiting us tonight, I must first explain some conventions of the stages of Yoso. First of all, our plays are very musical in nature, and so I have a chorus here to help me, led by our house venutist, Melin." Applause went up as a spotlight appeared on a black haired girl in a purple robe clutching a long and slender flute made of a dark wood. She bowed for the audience, then the light returned to the narrator. "Sometimes our costumes for Pokemon, monsters, and spirits require the actor's head to be fully covered, so our channeler Tania will speak and sing for those actors that can't speak or sing themselves." Applause went up as a brown haired girl in a blue robe stood up and bowed "And finally, any stagehands, prop masters, and puppeteers are all in black for a reason-they are but shadows, and unseen to you."

"Ah, no wonder I see people all in black by the chorus's section..." Janine mused as the narrator prepared to play again.

"Now, in a time long ago in Yoso, a great queen named Tabithi ruled the city of Mavi." the narrator began. "She was a kind and just ruler, and well loved by her people." With that, she played a regal melody as the curtains rose to reveal an elaborate set of a palace.

Ash smiled as he studied the beautiful set-maybe seeing the adventures of a great hero onstage would inspire them in the tournament!

**To Be Continued...**


End file.
